Apr 29, 2019

A 2014 St. Bonaventure University graduate who has been honored a number of times for her academic and leadership accomplishments is in the spotlight again.

Simone Bernstein, who will graduate from the George Washington University School of Medicine on May 19, is one of 10 recipients of this year’s St. Louis Women of Achievement Award, which recognizes women from the St. Louis metropolitan area for their volunteer service and leadership.

Bernstein, a native of St. Louis, is co-founder and president of VolunTEEN Nation, a national nonprofit organization she launched when she was 17 that has helped more than 1 million youths find volunteer opportunities. She was honored as a L’Oreal Paris Woman of Worth in 2010, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur in 2012, and was among Glamour Magazine’s Top 10 College Women in 2013. She is an inductee of the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame.

As an entering freshman at St. Bonaventure, Bernstein was accepted into the university’s very competitive St. Bonaventure-George Washington University School of Medicine dual-admit program, whereby a freshman is granted acceptance to SBU and provisional acceptance to GW Medical School. She graduated with honors from SBU, with a self-styled major in altruism and social entrepreneurship.

She postponed entry to medical school for a year in order to accept a Fulbright student grant to conduct research at the University of Toronto on techniques to analyze and collect electroencephalogram data. 

Bernstein, who attended medical school on a full scholarship from the U.S. Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program and is a U.S. Navy officer, will start a medical residency at Washington University in St. Louis in July.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, we believe in the goodness of every person and in the ability of every person to do extraordinary things. St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. Named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition.