Nikolas Bonifacio holds a Master of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Health Sciences), Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philippine Language and Literature (Major in Filipino),
and a minor in Biology from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. He was a former Editor-in-Chief of the Katipunan Magazin and later helped establish the Kalayaa
Literary Circle. In summer 2010, he was a Fullbright-Hays fellow in the Advanced FIlipino Abroad Program (AFAP) at De La Salle University (Dasmariñas and Manila)
where he ventered his research on traditional Filipino medicine.
His graduate research focused on cultural competency and cross-cultural miscommunication in the healthcare industry. He examined perceptions among Hawaii healthcare workers regarding communication with Filipinos who are non-native English speakers and developed recommendations for better patient-provider communication and engagement. He also works as a research associate at UH's Office of Public Health Studies.