Joseph Bonar

Background

About Joseph Bonar

During my final year at Grand Valley, while I was finishing my degrees in Electrical Engineering and Economics, I felt a call to give back to the community responsible for much of my personal development during my undergraduate years and accepted a Mission Leader position with University Christian Outreach (UCO) in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Initially, I expected my one year commitment to serve as a gap year before starting my professional career, but I kept feeling called back every year. As I start my fourth year on campus, I’ve never been more excited to mentor and serve college students. During my time with UCO, I’ve learned, “people are our most valuable asset”. I’ve witnessed first hand the growth and development individuals can experience when they are cared for and valued; from the introverted freshman engineering student to the extroverted senior political science major. As a result, I’ve developed many transferable skills: leading effective team meetings, motivating & encouraging individuals, refining my public speaking skills, communicating organizational values and strategic goals, and customer/donor relations through raising my annual salary with a team of supporters. From my own personal experience, and the number of students I’ve mentored, I’ve learned the college years are a critical time for personal development. While I can’t make decisions or “fix” people’s problems, I have the opportunity to encourage people to look past just their own preferences to be virtuous and engaged members of society. This opportunity to serve the future of our country is one of the greatest blessings in my life. These students on campus will be our future doctors, lawyers, engineers, and business owners. Our leaders need to know there is more to life than a successful career or personal financial stability. Helping people see living a purpose driven life as a Christian is a life of adventure and excitement - a life of meaning we all long and are made for.