The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the key elements of success in the Bonner Service Leaders program--a four-year leadership and community engagement program on my campus--and how to leverage the key elements of success in Bonner to increase student achievement in the program. In the first research cycle, I interviewed current students and program alumni along with faculty and administrators who have taught and mentored Bonner Service Leaders. The data collected identified three main reasons why students join the program: To build community by making friends and finding peer and adult mentors, to connect the dots between academic goals and professional aspirations, and impact--the belief they are having an impact in the community and that the program is having an impact on them. The data also suggested that students persist in Bonner when they believe they are working toward meeting at least one or two of these goals. In the second research cycle, my action steps included collective sensemaking workshops, focus groups, and interviews that explored how to establish space for authentic student voice so that students can generate ideas for continuous program improvement. Key findings from Cycle 2 included the need to understand why students join community engaged programming before implementing significant program changes, the importance of fostering relationship building to create a safe and supportive space for student voices, the need to use a variety of methods to engage students in program improvement, and the value of collective sensemaking within a safe and supportive space as a tool to build student agency and confidence. Implications for the organization include the recognition that collective sensemaking can be a vehicle for incorporating student voices into program improvement, the need to include students in all decision-making that impact them, and the recognition that students need to be told when program changes are based on their input, which they have the opportunity to assess over time. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]