Bliss Bonner

Bliss Bonner, a recent Cody High School graduate, will be one of an elite few as she heads to the University of Wyoming as a member of the fifth wave of Tomé scholars.

“I think the thing that really made it stick out was not only that it's a full ride … it also pays for study abroad experiences and things like that, [which was] really interesting to me, because I would love to travel more,” she said.

The prestigious scholarship covers the students' tuition and room and board for four years as well as one unique educational experience per year with an allotted $7,500. If Bonner decides to live off campus, things like housing and groceries can fall under the scholarship, she said.

Bonner has already applied for the Wild and Working Lands trip to Nepal next January, which would allow her to see Chitwan National Park, track tigers, elephants and rhinoceros and spend time in the Himalayas and Kathmandu.

Among other things, Bonner is interested in the trip’s conservation focus and the ability to see animals she’s never seen before.

“You get to talk to scientists and conservation people in Nepal while you're there, and learn about what all is going on and the interactions between the animals and humans in the area,” Bonner said. “So I think all of that would be really cool. “

The Tomé Foundation Scholarship, created by Carol and Ramon Tomé, the CEO of UPS and a retired environmental technologist, came to the University of Wyoming in 2021; the first cohort of Tomé scholars graduated this year.

The scholarship’s goal is to finance education for female and minority students with a major in science, technology, arts and math. At UW the scholarship is offered through the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. 

Bonner will be majoring in environment, natural resources and journalism with the goal of working in science communication, although she does not quite have the specific ironed out due to the field’s broad nature.

“I’m definitely interested in that and helping people understand science who aren’t educated specifically in science topics,” Bonner said. 

She’s always liked writing, science and the outdoors, so when she learned science communication existed, it seemed like the right combination.

Bonner first found out about the Tomé scholarship a couple years ago, before she was preparing for college. It sounded like a good experience and UW was the right option for her, she said.

Because the Tomé scholarships are full ride scholarships, students don’t have to find a way to pay for college, said John Koprowski, dean of the Haub School. Beyond having a debt free opportunity to explore, students can extend this into the experiences covered in the scholarship. 

“Those kinds of experiences  are just once in a lifetime, and they're something that most students don't have the opportunity to do,” Koprowski said.

He added that students can take an experiential trip or use it on something like a paid research experience.