Jessica Bonstein’s connection to Fresno State goes back generations. It was her grandmother who inspired her to become a Bulldog.
“I’m a third-generation Bulldog. I am Bulldog born, Bulldog bred, Bulldog ‘til the day I’m dead.”
Bonstein is a graduate student receiving her M.A. in communication and is the graduate Student of Distinction from the Department of Communication.
“Jessica’s academic career thus far exemplifies the educational excellence, leadership achievement, and service to the university recognized by this award,” said Dr. Diane Blair, professor of communication.
Bonstein received her B.A. in communication from Fresno State in 2017, then received her masters in education from National University.
“When applying to graduate programs, Fresno State made the list in part because of this connection to my grandmother,” said, Bonstein. “After being accepted by five other graduate programs, choosing Fresno State became easy because of my connection to the university and the amazing faculty I would be able to continue to work with here.”
Returning to Fresno State, Bonstein worked as a graduate teaching associate for two years, serving as the instructor of record for six sections of Foundational Public Speaking for undergraduates.
She has served as a graduate teaching associate leader, vice president of the Communication Graduate Student Association and the College of Arts and Humanities Leadership Council, and a volunteer mentor in the Graduate Mentor Program.
Bonstein attended the National Communication Association (NCA) conference in fall 2023 and the Western States Communication Association (WSCA) conference in spring 2024 to explore her scholarly interests. In 2023, she secured an NCA Travel Grant to learn to write grants and funding proposals. She gave her presentation, “Re-Visioning Strong Female Main Characters in Popular Fiction,” at the 2024 American Cultural Association National Conference.
“My culminating experience is an applied project that consists of creating a course for Visual Communication that utilizes collaborative learning strategies and purposeful intertextuality to address the social and emotional needs of students after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Bonstein.
“This extends the focus of the first master’s degree that I obtained in 2019 in Education and Social Emotional Learning by integrating what I have learned during the Communication program at Fresno State.”
Bonstein has previously worked as a teacher in Sanger Unified School District and is currently a graduate teaching assistant as well as an instructor at Reedley College.
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 