Student Profile: Joseph Bonilla ’25 on Bridging Psychology, Health Sciences, and Campus Leadership

Joseph Bonilla ’25, a senior and first-generation college student, joined Westfield State University in the fall of 2022. With a double major in psychology and health sciences, and a concentration in gerontology, Bonilla calls this academic path “one of the best decisions of his undergraduate career.”

Originally from Pascagoula, Mississippi, Bonilla planned to earn his bachelor’s degree in three years rather than four for several financial and emotional reasons. Bonilla is highly active on campus, serving as the President of the Student Government Association (SGA) and working as a former student fellow for the University’s Division of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). Additionally, Bonilla is an honor scholar and an urban education student.

His passion for gerontology was sparked by a class on the subject, leading him to describe Dr. Tamara Smith, Associate Professor of Health Sciences, as “a wonderful advisor” who helped align his courses with his interests.

However, his dedication to gerontology is also deeply personal. Inspired by his late aunt's struggle with mental and physical health issues in rural Puerto Rico and her subsequent battle with metastatic breast cancer, Bonilla aims to address the gaps in public health and “catch people who fall in the cracks”. He is particularly focused on serving those in the mental health sphere, as his honors’ project explores help-seeking behaviors in older adults.

“It’s coming full circle,” Bonilla said about it. “I’m seeing where my passion for psychology and health sciences came from, and gerontology is a really good merger of the two.”

Bonilla's decision to accelerate his studies was driven by financial considerations and a desire to build a strong resume for master’s programs. “Graduating in three years made the most sense for me personally,” he explained, noting the difficulty of balancing work and academic excellence.

“Coming into college, I was definitely struggling a bit with money,” he explained further. “Before Westfield State, I was in a good place where I’ve saved enough money so that I could have something to build off of while I was in college, but I’d only saved so much. My goal was to have the college experience, develop myself professionally, and build a resume that made me a viable candidate for master’s programs, but also to do well in college. It’s hard to work and do well in school, and I thought it made the most sense to graduate in three years.”

Scholarships have been crucial in his academic journey. “As a first-generation college student, navigating everything was daunting,” he admitted. Westfield State’s supportive community and accessible financial aid office were key factors in his decision to enroll.

“That’s one of the great things about Westfield State and why I chose it. It’s small enough that you’re able to develop good relationships with people all over campus as well as in the financial aid office that you wouldn’t be able to necessarily in a larger university. It was hard for me to learn to ask questions about it all, because I didn’t know much.”

Currently, Bonilla benefits from the Paula Strong Garrett Foundation, the Community Foundation of Western Mass, and the University’s Honors Program. Because of this additionally support and his unwavering dedication to his studies, Bonilla will graduate debt-free, a fact he describes as a significant blessing.

As SGA President, Bonilla aims to foster campus engagement and creativity. As far as his plans for the upcoming year, Bonilla’s biggest goal is to engage with campus but to also be innovative in terms of campus climate and events. 

“We welcome the dialogue and discourse which comes from different opinions about what politics looks like, or what we want the world to look like in the next couple of months,” Bonilla said. “It’s empowering for students to uplift their voices and share their opinions. I think we’re going to really develop more relationships with the student body. I want us to be creative in the ways we engage with our peers and establish a sense of purpose and belonging. We need to meet students where they’re at.”

His goal is to build relationships within the student body and promote a sense of purpose and belonging, for which he draws inspiration from Dr. Linda Thompson, President of Westfield State, particularly her message of inclusivity and connection. “Dr. Thompson is interested in that sense of belonging, and it just goes hand in hand with a sense of purpose,” he elaborated. “I think with a lot of students, even with students in leadership positions, they can question their purpose. I want students to be centered in who they are and get to develop themselves professionally, but also have lifelong memories. I’ve found a family in student government, and I hope every student will be able to find that.”