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Social Innovator Leigh-Kathryn Bonner Helps Save Honey Bees

Beekeepers tend to a hive Play Video

What can you do with an NC State degree in international studies? Ask Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, founder of Bee Downtown. 

Bonner (International Studies, ’15) founded her company to help save honey bee populations. She partners with businesses to install and maintain hives — on rooftops and in other urban locales — and teaches hands-on classes to educate children and adults about sustainable agriculture and the vital bee.

The fourth-generation beekeeper and third-generation Wolfpacker started her business while she was an undergrad at NC State. In this video, she speaks with pride about how her international studies degree informed her business plans, and the boost she got from our Wolfpack across campus as she created and grew her “bees-ness.”

Inc. Magazine named Bonner one of its Most Inspiring 30 under 30 Young Entrepreneurs in 2018.