About Kayla Bonkowski
Kayla Bonkowski is a psychology graduate and MSW student based in Sterling Heights, Michigan, working toward a career in hospice and palliative care social work.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Rochester College, graduating Cum Laude. Her academic work is rooted in a genuine commitment to supporting people through difficult transitions. Hospice and palliative care social work draws her because of the depth of presence it requires and the difference it makes for patients and families during end-of-life care.
Kayla Bonkowski is also a dedicated fitness advocate. She trains regularly in CrossFit and has completed a personal health transformation of more than 70 pounds. She brings consistent effort to everything she pursues, inside and outside the classroom.
Animal welfare is equally important to her. Kayla Bonkowski fosters and rescues dogs and has made animal advocacy a personal priority. She lives in Sterling Heights with her son and two dogs.
Education
- Master of Social Work (MSW) — in progress
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology — Rochester College, Cum Laude
Clinical Focus
- Hospice and palliative care social work
- Psychosocial support for patients and families
- Anticipatory grief and end-of-life transitions
- Family systems under terminal illness stress
Personal
- CrossFit athlete — Sterling Heights, MI
- 70+ lb personal health transformation
- Dog fosterer and animal welfare advocate
- Mother, based in Sterling Heights, Michigan
Why Hospice and Palliative Care
The social worker in a hospice setting is the person who makes the situation more navigable — reducing the degree to which a family’s attention and energy are consumed by confusion, logistics, and avoidable distress. That freed attention is what allows them to be present for the person who is dying. Kayla Bonkowski is building toward that role because she thinks those families deserve it.