Boston College Chronicle

COMMENCEMENT 2024

Bishop of Hong Kong to Address Graduates

Dana Barros, Sr. Maria Teresa de Loera Lopez, James O’Connell, Mary Skipper also to receive honorary degrees

BY THE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Bishop of Hong Kong Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., a proponent of closer ties between the Vatican and China, will address the Boston College Class of 2024 at the University’s 148th Commencement Exercises on May 20.

University President William P. Leahy, S.J., will present Cardinal Chow with an honorary degree at the ceremony, which

BC Junior Wins a Goldwater Scholarship

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Sancia Sehdev ’25, a member of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars program majoring in biology who plans to pursue research in environmental health and epidemiology as a foundation for climate advocacy, has been awarded a Barry Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier undergraduate award in the sciences.

Sehdev, a native of New Delhi and a medical humanities minor—an interdisciplinary, humanistic, and cultural study of illness, health, health care, and anatomy— is on the pre-med track. Her career goal is to practice medicine as a neurologist or psychiatrist, conduct environmental health research focused on the brain, and serve as an active climate advocate.

will take place at 10 a.m. in Alumni Stadium, rain or shine.

In addition, the University will present honorary degrees to: accomplished former BC and pro basketball player Dana Barros ’89, now a successful entrepreneur; Sister Maria Teresa de Loera Lopez M.S. ’19, among the first cohort in the Catholic Extension’s United States-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program; James O’Connell, president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program; and Mary Skipper, superintendent of Boston Public Schools.

More on the 2024 honorary degree recipients:

Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J.

A year ago, Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., became the first bishop of Hong Kong

“I am very honored to be named a Goldwater Scholar, and I am grateful for the support and confidence that the Goldwater Foundation has expressed in my future as a scientist,” said Sehdev.

in nearly three decades to visit Beijing. Last November, shortly after he was made a cardinal by Pope Francis, he initiated a reciprocal invitation to Beijing Archbishop Joseph Li, whose stay in Hong Kong was the first ever by a Beijing bishop. Cardinal

Montecalvo to speak at Law Commencement page 4

Chow underscored these developments— cited by experts as symbolic gestures that could strengthen the fragile Vatican-China relationship—with his statement that he dreamed of bishops and the faithful from different parts of greater China gathering

Continued on page 4

Newest First-Year Class Continues Upward Trend

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

With practically each new first-year class, Boston College has continued to reach ever higher levels of academic excellence—and the newly admitted Class of 2028 is no exception.

As of March 21, the date when the Office of Undergraduate Admission posted its Regular Decision results, a little more than 5,200 offers of admission had been extended for this fall’s first-year class, out of a total pool of 35,475 applications.

The admit rate for the Class of 2028 is 14.7 percent, similar to last year, despite the University’s aim to enroll a slightly larger class of 2,350. Just seven years ago, the admit rate for the Class of 2021 was 32 percent.

Ninety-five percent among the admitted students—who have until May 1 to secure their place in the Class of 2028—rank in the

top 10 percent of their high school class; their average scores on the SAT and ACT, respectively, are 1511 and 34.

“Boston College’s upward trajectory continues with this most recent class, as evidenced by their academic prowess in the classroom and their vast talents in the community,” said Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid Grant Gosselin. “As the level of selectivity in the pool increases, so does the academic excellence of each incoming class.”

More than 14 percent of admitted students will be the first in their families to attend college, up from 12 percent last year, noted Gosselin. “Boston College has long viewed higher education as a vehicle for social mobility. The members of the Admission staff have worked hard to identify students who will both contribute to and benefit from this incredible community. Our classrooms,

Sancia Sehdev ’25

photo by caitlin cunningham

Bishop of Hong Kong Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J.

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Around Campus

Books Good Enough to Eat (Literally)

O’Neill Library lobby was full of literary-themed displays and ironically-named baked goods—from “Goodnight Moon Pies” to “The Butter Battle Bar”—as Boston College held its eighth Edible Books Festival on April 3.

This year’s event, the first since 2019, featured 15 submissions from teams and individuals within the BC community that had a “punny” reference to a book, poem, story, or other form of literature and, as the festival name implies, was comestible.

The Edible Books Festival was pioneered by book artist Judith Hoffberg in 1999 and is a worldwide event that takes place on or around April 1 as a memorial to French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, most widely known for his book Physiologie du gout, or “the physiology of taste.” April 1 is the birthday of Brillat-Savarin, but as the Edible Books Festival’s official website notes, “April Fool’s Day is also the perfect day to eat your words and play with them.”

Associate University Librarian Scott Britton spearheaded the event at BC in 2013 after having participated in the festival for four years at the University of Miami. “Events like this are important because they make the library a silly place and more accessible for students,” he said.

Books that tend to show up at the festival every year include Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Lord of the Flies by William Golding, noted Britton. “We

had ‘Lord of the Fries’ here one year,” he laughed.

“This is one of my favorite annual events, especially since food celebrations took a hiatus during COVID,” said Burns Library Conservation and Preservation Manager Nora Dempsey, who prior to BC had participated in the international event at Harvard, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago.

This year’s winner was Digital Scholarship Specialist Ashlyn Stewart for her “Around the World in 72 Dates,” a honeydew melon decorated as the Earth with dates poking out from its every angle—an inspiration drawn from Nellie Bly’s Around the World in Seventy-Two Days.

“It was a lot harder to make than I thought it was going to be; it took about three hours to do,” said Stewart, who was awarded a maroon apron for her future baking endeavors.

Runner-up was Associate Director of Graduate Financial Aid Marsia Hill Kreaime for a cream-filled croissant and grape dish, “Grapes of Wrap,” riffing on John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.

An eager crowd gathered soon after the voting to sample this year’s entries, including past winner Sherm Homan, who said she was “just there for fun.” In addition to her 2014 winning entry “Betty Crocker’s Cooked Book”—a cake decorated to appear as a cookbook—Homan teamed with

A

Student Services Associate Director Linda Malenfant to win the 2016 BC festival with “Cryano de Bergerac,” a parody of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. For this display, Bergerac, in cake form, sat in a bathtub-shaped igloo of his tears heartbroken over his love interest, Roxane. Homan was satisfied with her decision to try “Banana Crêperenina,” inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. “I’ve been eyeing the banana crêpe display ever since

I got here, and let me just say it is fantastic.”

For more about the Edible Books Festival, see libguides.bc.edu/ediblebooks

—Audrey Loyack

Have you ever created a dish named for a book, film, work of art, or famous person? Email us at chronicle@bc.edu with subject header “edible” (and include a photo, if possible).

Excellence in Teaching Day Will Examine Impact of Generative A.I.

The University’s Excellence in Teaching Day on May 6 will focus on a series of conversations—including a keynote address by Princeton University scholar Ruha Benjamin—about the impact of generative artificial intelligence on teaching and learning at the university level, according to Center for Teaching Excellence Executive Director Stacy Grooters.

Benjamin, Princeton’s Alexander Stewart 1886 Professor of African American Studies, is the founding director of the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab, and researches the social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Benjamin will be delivering the keynote address at this year’s Excellence in Teaching Day,” said Grooters. “Her scholarship and our own conversations about GenAI and today’s Boston College classroom will help inform how we prepare students to navigate the

intersection of human knowledge and the rapidly expanding presence of the algorithm in the lives of faculty and our students.”

Benjamin is the author, most recently, of Imagination: A Manifesto and Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want, winner of the 2023 Stowe Prize from the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. The Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab convenes students, educators, activists, and artists to develop a critical and creative approach to data conception, production, and circulation in order to serve social justice.

Benjamin received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Spelman College, master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from University of CaliforniaBerkeley, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics and the Harvard University Science, Technology, and Society Pro-

gram. She has been awarded fellowships and grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Institute for Advanced Study. In 2017, she received the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton and, in 2020, the Marguerite Casey Foundation Inaugural Freedom Scholar Award.

Grooters said the center will also be organizing opportunities to discuss readings from Benjamin’s books, such as Race After Technology and Imagination: A Manifesto, in preparation for her keynote lecture. For additional information or to RSVP, see the center’s Excellence in Teaching Day webpage at bit.ly/BC-Excellence-in-TeachingDay-2024.

—Ed Hayward

photo by cyndi shattuck

sampling of entries (entrées?) at the recent Boston College Edible Books Festival organized by University Libraries.

photos by lee pellegrini

Keynote speaker Ruha Benjamin.

Unity Against Racism Lecture Set for April 23

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Joseph P. Gone, faculty director of the Harvard University Native American Program, will keynote the second annual Anderson “A.J.” Franklin Unity Against Racism Lecture on April 23 at 7 p.m. in Gasson 100, sponsored by the Boston College Institute for the Study of Race and Culture (ISRC).

His talk, “Indigenous Historical Trauma: Alter-Native Explanations for Mental Health Inequities,” will draw on Gone’s nearly 30 years of experience collaborating with American Indian and other Indigenous communities to rethink communitybased mental health services, and to harness traditional culture and spirituality for advancing Indigenous well-being.

The ISRC Unity Against Racism Lecture honors Franklin, a renowned scholar, leader in professional psychology, civil rights activist, and community organizer who dedicated his life’s work to the fight against racial oppression. He joined the Lynch School of Education and Human Development in 2007 and served as Honorable David S. Nelson Professor of Psychology and Education and director of the Nelson Chair Roundtable on Networking Community-Based Programs until his retirement in 2020.

Each year, the ISRC invites an esteemed scholar and community leader to deliver a lecture on disrupting and dismantling racism within our society, underscoring Franklin’s efforts to build an equitable society, and inspiring younger generations to continue his work.

Gone, an anthropology professor in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences who also serves on the Faculty of Global Health and Social Medicine, has collaborated with tribal communities for more than 25 years to re-envision conventional mental health services for advancing Indigenous well-

The University’s Information Technology Services reminds members of the Boston College community that, beginning May 1, the following storage quotas will be applied to all BC Google accounts:

Individual User Accounts—250GB

Shared Google Drives—500GB

Shared Mailboxes—10GB

The change comes as Google ends its offering of unlimited storage in Google Workspace for educational institutions (Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos). To prepare for this change, Boston College ITS analyzed existing Google usage, and determined how to effectively leverage the new, limited storage amounts with minimal impact to faculty, staff, and students.

According to ITS, 99.4 percent of Boston College accounts are already well

being. He has published over 85 scientific articles and chapters, and has been awarded fellow status by the Association for Psychological Science and seven divisions of the American Psychological Association. An enrolled member of Montana’s AaniiihGros Ventre tribal nation, he also briefly served as the chief administrative officer for the Fort Belknap Indian reservation.

A reception will follow the event, which will be livestreamed. The event website at bit.ly/2024-anderson-franklinlecture includes a link to register.

“Although we know that racism continues to be present in our society, the current legislative backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion that we are witnessing across the country gives the Unity Against Racism series a greater sense of urgency,” said ISRC Director Alex L. Pieterse, an associate professor in the Lynch School. “Through the lecture series, the ISRC is once again thrilled to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of A.J. Franklin in his work towards racial justice, and we are honored to play a small role in the ongoing and needed fight against racism.”

The ISRC offers pragmatic information about teaching, conducting research, and applying interventions intended to promote the benefits of racial and ethnic cultural diversity and resolve related social problems. The institute is distinctive in its emphasis on addressing psychological aspects of race and racism from an interdisciplinary perspective.

below the quotas given above. For those users among the 0.6 percent in need of additional storage options for BC-related data, ITS will work on alternative options.

ITS advises users to prepare for the change by checking the amount of Google storage they are using and staying under their storage limit for Drive, Gmail, and Photos. Those users who currently exceed the limit in individual or shared BC Google accounts will receive additional communications with information on reducing storage.

To learn more about quotas at BC, and recommendations on staying under the limit, see bc.edu/google. For assistance, contact the Help Center at 617552-HELP(4357) or help.center@bc.edu, or your local technology consultant.

—University Communications

University’s Graduate Programs Do Well in US News Rankings

The Boston College School of Social Work rose three places to eighth, BC Law rose one spot to 28th, and the Connell School of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program debuted at 26th in the 2024 “Best Graduate Schools” rankings, released Monday by US News and World Report

BCSSW’s eighth-place ranking was the school’s highest placement to date and the best overall ranking this year among BC’s graduate and professional schools.

In addition to BC Law’s one-place improvement to 28th, the school performed well in this year’s specialty rankings, with the Tax Law program improving to 15th overall, Business Corporate Law rising to 22nd, and Contracts/Commercial Law and International Law both placing 29th.

In its first year of ranking eligibility, the Nursing DNP program placed 26th nationally, while CSON’s Master of Science degree program retained its rank of 34th.

In the Carroll School of Management, the full-time MBA program fell slightly to 46th, while the part-time MBA program improved

five places to 23rd.

Among business specialties programs, Accounting improved to eighth and Finance to 10th while Business Analytics placed 19th and Marketing 21st.

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development was ranked 23rd this year, a two-point decline from last year’s ranking. The Lynch School remains the highest ranked Jesuit, Catholic university in the nation. Among education specialties, Student Counseling & Personnel Services improved to eighth, Curriculum & Instruction retained its rank of 14th, Education Policy improved to 22nd, and Higher Education and Educational Administration placed 23rd and 25th, respectively.

The Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, which is ranked every four years on differing schedules, had no new rankings this year.

In March, the Clough School of Theology and Ministry and the Theology Department in Morrissey College placed 11th worldwide in the QS Global Rankings of schools of theology, divinity, and religious studies.

—Jack Dunn

First Look at the Class of 2028

Continued from page 1

residence halls, athletic teams, and student organizations are at their best when they include students from a wide range of backgrounds.”

In addition to all 50 of the United States, three U.S. territories, and Washington, DC, this cohort of admitted students are citizens or residents of 91 countries.

Undergraduate Admission is gearing up for two Admitted Eagle Days, to be held this Sunday and the one following, during which admitted students and their families are invited to visit BC for campus tours—including a look inside a residence hall—as well as opportunities to meet members of the University community, and other events and activities.

Throughout this month, noted Gosselin, Admission staff will partner with alumni to host 24 yield receptions in 14 states, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, and Beijing.

The 2023-2024 admission cycle has included countless challenges, not least of which has been the rollout of the new FAFSA finan-

cial aid form. The FAFSA, used by colleges and universities to determine federal financial aid eligibility, underwent its largest overhaul in 50 years, Gosselin explained. FAFSA data is currently unavailable to colleges, thereby threatening financial aid funding to millions of students throughout the country.

“However,” he noted, “because Boston College uses the CSS Profile form in addition to the FAFSA to award financial aid packages, we’ve been able to notify admitted students of their aid eligibility throughout this year’s undergraduate admission cycle. While funding sources cannot be determined until the FAFSA data has been received, our admitted students have firm financial aid information to use in making their decision to accept our offers of admission.

“Our colleagues in Financial Aid are to be commended for their exceptional work under these most challenging circumstances. I am grateful for their dedication to our students.”

A view of Monday’s solar eclipse with Gasson Hall in the foreground.

photo by stephanie mitchell

photo by caitlin cunningham

Joseph P. Gone

COMMENCEMENT 2024 Cardinal Chow to Speak to the Class of 2024

Continued from page 1

someday “to pray together.”

The Vatican and China have a long and complex history: The two severed diplomatic ties in 1951, and there have been tensions related to the dual existence of an official, state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Church and an underground Church loyal to the pope. Cardinal Chow has expressed desire for his native Hong Kong to be a “bridge-building” church that will promote cordial exchanges between Rome and Beijing.

Cardinal Chow was provincial of the Chinese Jesuits from 2018 until 2021, five months after his appointment as bishop. He attended a secondary school staffed by Irish Jesuits before enrolling in the University of Minnesota, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees; he also holds degrees from Dublin’s Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Holy Spirit Seminary in Hong Kong, Loyola University of Chicago, and Harvard University. Cardinal Chow participated in the Jesuits’ 36th General Congregation in 2016.

Dana Barros

A native of Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood, Dana Barros had a stand-out basketball career in the college and professional ranks. The first BC player to score more than 2,000 career points and one of only two players to twice lead the Big East Conference in scoring, Barros received the Nathaniel J. Hasenfus “Eagle of the Year” Award as outstanding male athlete in his graduating class.

He went on to a 13-year NBA career, amassing 8,895 points as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons. He was an NBA All-Star in 1995. He was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, and his number 3 was retired in 2017.

Since retiring from the NBA, Barros has been an entrepreneur, public speaker, coach, television analyst, leader of the City of Boston’s Department of Recreation, and a member of the Celtics’ front office. In 2018, he opened the Dana Barros Basketball Club, which hosts practices and workouts, Amateur Athletic Union games, tournaments, and basketball camps; the club is ranked among the top 10 basketball training centers in the U.S.

Two years ago, Barros returned to the Heights to assist BC Athletics with alumni engagement, media relations, and the launch of a mentorship program for men’s basketball.

Sister Maria Teresa de Loera Lopez

Sister Maria Teresa “Tere” de Loera Lo-

pez, of the Congregation of Catholic Sisters Teachers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was part of the inaugural group of women religious in the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program, launched in 2014 by Catholic Extension through a Conrad N. Hilton Foundation grant. The five-year initiative provides the opportunity to attain a university degree in the U.S., serve the poor in an Extension diocese, and gain leadership and ministry skills.

Through the program, in partnership with Boston College, Sr. Tere earned a master’s degree in applied leadership studies in 2019 from the Woods College of Advancing Studies. Her U.S. ministry was at St. John the Baptist Parish in the Diocese of Little Rock in Russellville, Ark. Beyond the academic experience, BC helped her “learn the American mentality to dream big, to have a vision,” she said in a BC News interview. “I’m better ready to serve my community.”

Sr. Tere returned to her native Mexico in 2020 to lead a large religious education program in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. She serves 60 parishes and leads a staff of 12, and drives to distant parishes to train catechists. Despite dangerous journeys through areas run by drug cartels, she is undaunted by the risks and committed to lay leader formation. Her vocation has also taken her to serve in other locations, including Venezuela and Peru.

James O’Connell, M.D.

James (Jim) O’Connell, M.D., is the founding physician and president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), an integrated network of health care and social service providers who deliver equitable and dignified access to comprehensive, high-quality care for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Boston. Operating at more than 30 clinic sites in shelters and hospitals, in a medical respite program, and on the streets, BHCHP provides medical care, behavioral health care, youth and family services, and case management to nearly 10,000 individuals every year. Under Dr. O’Connell’s leadership, BHCHP opened the nation’s first medical respite care facility for homeless patients and created the first electronic medical records system for a homeless program.

Dr. O’Connell meets Boston’s unhoused population where they are, often traveling the city at night, providing medical care, socks, soup, empathy, and friendship to those living on the margins. His compassionate and dignified care was depicted in Tracy Kidder’s acclaimed book,

Rough Sleepers:

Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People, which was selected as the common read for the Boston College Class of 2027.

He is the editor of The Health Care of Homeless Persons: A Manual of Communicable Diseases and Common Problems in Shelters and his articles have appeared in numerous journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine. A recipient of the 2012 Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, Dr. O’Connell was named a Bostonian of the Year in 2023 by The Boston Globe

Mary Skipper

A lifelong educator and school leader, Mary Skipper has served as superintendent of the Boston Public Schools since September 2022. She has demonstrated her commitment to a vision of BPS as a welcoming, safe, and sustainable district through the settlement of outstanding labor contracts and the expansion of more inclusive education for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.

Raised by a single mother who barely

finished high school, Skipper, the holder of three master’s degrees, has characterized her choice to become a teacher as the fulfillment of her professional calling. She launched her teaching career at Boston Latin Academy and Boston College High School, followed by 17 years in the Boston Public Schools. She served as the founding headmaster and chief education officer of TechBoston Academy, a pilot school hailed by former President Barack Obama as a national model for its cuttingedge curriculum, and high graduation and college placement success. As the network superintendent for secondary schools, she oversaw 34 facilities with nearly 20,000 students, and during her tenure, those institutions achieved the lowest drop-out rate, and the highest graduation levels in the district’s history.

Prior to heading the state’s largest school district, the Boston native led the Somerville Public Schools for seven years. During her administration, the district posted improved graduation rates, attendance, and student assessment results, while withdrawals declined.

U.S. Court of Appeals Judge to Appear at Law Commencement

Lara E. Montecalvo J.D. ’00, a former public defender now serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, will speak at the 2024 Boston College Law School Commencement on May 24 in Conte Forum.

Montecalvo worked in the Rhode Island Public Defender’s Office from 2004-2022, the last two as its head. She has been lauded for her pursuit of equal justice for all, for representing clients who could not afford an attorney, and for her effort to reduce the incarceration of women.

Her United States Senate confirmation to the First Circuit in 2022 earned her the praise of Majority Whip and Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.): “Lara Montecalvo is a seasoned litigator with a demonstrated commitment to equal justice. Her career representing indigent defendants ensures that she appreciates the real-world impact of judicial decision-making and demonstrates that she understands the importance of fairly applying the law to the facts. Her vast experience at both the trial and appellate level will make her an asset to the circuit court.”

The First Circuit hears all federal appeals for Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Puerto

Rico.

After receiving her juris doctorate magna cum laude from BC Law, Montecalvo began her career as a trial attorney in the Tax Division of the Department of Justice. She joined the Rhode Island Public Defender’s Office four years later as a trial attorney, eventually working her way to assistant public defender and chief of the Appellate Division before reaching the top job.

—Boston College Law School

Lara E. Montecalvo J.D. ’00

Goldwater Winner Sees Future in Environmental Health

Continued from page 1

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years as a United States senator from Arizona. Goldwater Scholarships—grants for up to two years of graduate studies—are awarded based on academic merit to the country’s most promising sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

Sehdev is the 21st Goldwater recipient from BC, and the first since Henry Dieckhaus ’20 in 2019.

“The idea of pursuing a M.D./Ph.D. [doctorate of medicine and philosophy] in environmental health excites me,” said Sehdev, whose initial interest in attending BC was driven by its excellent academic program in biology, its opportunities in environmental and public health, and emphasis on medical advancement and health care in Greater Boston. “I hope to attend an institution that can provide me with the same abundant resources and support as BC has.

“While I currently plan to focus my

Fulbright Will Send Kim to South Korea

Oh Myo Kim, an associate professor of the practice in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, was selected as a 2024-2025 Fulbright United States Scholar. She will teach and conduct research in Seoul, South Korea.

Administered by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Program, the prestigious awards are competitive fellowships that provide opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad.

Trained as a counseling psychologist and with postdoctoral training in eating disorders, Kim has been a member of the Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology department since 2014. She practices mindfulness-based behavioral therapy and centers her investigations on adoption, the family dynamics in transracial families, and identity development in adopted adults; her interests also extend to cultural socialization, racial and ethnic identity, and social oppression. Kim has focused her more recent inquiry on pregnancy and motherhood for adopted individuals. She is a member of the Asian American Psychological Association.

“I am so excited to embark on a research and teaching Fulbright fellowship next academic year,” said Kim, whose family, including two young children, will join her. “I will teach one course each semester as a visiting professor in the department of education at Yonsei University, while my

doctoral research on the impact of climate change on brain health and its potential role in the progression of Parkinson’s disease, the specific focus may evolve as the field grows. Post-graduation, I intend to undertake a neurology or psychiatry residency, and engage in environmental health research and advocacy.”

“I congratulate Sancia Sehdev on her selection as a Goldwater Scholarship recipient,” said Professor of Biology Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., director of the Pro-

“Sancia’s curiosity, genuine care for research, perseverance, ability to work independently, and collaborative spirit make her an exceptional individual,” says Bogdan Draganski, M.D., research advisor and mentor of Goldwater Scholar Sancia Sehdev (left).

she has investigated the impact of air pollution on brain structure at the Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging Laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“Currently, Sancia is working under my mentorship on a project to identify chemicals in the environment known or suspected to cause disruptions in brain development in young children. The Goldwater Scholarship will provide Sancia with an extremely important assist on her life’s journey.”

research will focus on the psychological impact of searching for, but not finding, the birth family of adopted individuals.”

“We are thrilled that Oh Myo Kim has won this well-deserved Fulbright fellowship,” said Stanton E. F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “She is a valued member of the faculty, and her teaching and mentoring make a significant impact on many students. It’s wonderful to see that she will be able to continue her interesting and important research next year in South Korea.”

—Phil

gram for Global Public Health and the Common Good. “She has been actively engaged in research since her first summer at BC, when she examined the impacts on human health of common lands management in rural India, under the mentorship of [BC School of Social Work Dean] Gautam Yadama. Since then, she has worked on the creation of novel amino acids in BC’s Laboratory of Synthetic Biology and Biochemistry with the guidance of Chemistry Professor Abhishek Chatterjee, and

“Sancia’s curiosity, genuine care for research, perseverance, ability to work independently, and collaborative spirit make her an exceptional individual,” said Bogdan Draganski, M.D., director of the Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, who served as her research advisor during her stint there last summer studying air pollution’s impact on human brain tissue properties. “I believe her dedication to pursuing medicine, coupled with her strong focus on research, will undoubtedly lead to a successful and impactful career.”

As of now, Sehdev plans to take a gap year following graduation to continue working on her research in brain structure and environmental health with Landrigan and Dr. Draganski.

BC Wall Street Tribute Dinner

Will

Honor

CVS Health Executive

Karen S. Lynch, a 1984 Boston College alumna who is president and CEO of CVS Health, will be honored at the 34th annual Boston College Wall Street Council Tribute Dinner, to be held April 18 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Organized by the Wall Street Business Leadership Council—a network of more than 2,000 BC alumni, parents, and friends who work in and represent the financial community in New York—the dinner provides financial aid for BC’s Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, an extraordinary four-year honors program that combines rigorous coursework, community service, international experience, and internships.

Lynch will be presented with the President’s Medal for Excellence in recognition of her exceptional career, as well as her personal and professional contributions to society.

Under Lynch’s leadership, CVS Health touches the lives of more than 100 million people through its health care benefits and pharmacy benefits management businesses, and presence in over 9,000 community health destinations across the United States. As part of the company’s commitment to sustainability, Lynch has set bold goals to advance health equity and ensure a healthier planet for the people and communities CVS Health serves.

With more than three decades of experience in the health care industry, Lynch was selected for the 2023 TIME100 annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Fortune magazine has named her the top-ranking leader for the last

three years on its list of the Most Powerful Women in Business, and as the Most Inspirational CEO in 2022. She was also included on the Bloomberg 50 list of people who have changed global business.

Prior to becoming president and chief executive officer in February 2021, Lynch was executive vice president of CVS Health and president of Aetna, where she was responsible for delivering consumercentric, holistic health care to the millions of people Aetna serves. Before joining CVS Health, she held executive positions at Cigna and Magellan Health, where she served as president. She began her career with Ernst & Young as a certified public accountant.

Gloudemans

photo by rick bern

Karen S. Lynch ’84

photo by caitlin cunningham

Oh Myo Kim of the Lynch School has done research on pregnancy and motherhood for adopted individuals.

photo by caitlin cunningham

A Semester to Remember for Student A Cappella Ensemble

Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences

seniors Caroline Sloan and Sam Deignan have had a memorable last semester at Boston College, representing BC on stage and in song as co-presidents of student a cappella group BC Dynamics, which recently made an impressive showing in a major intercollegiate competition.

The Dynamics earned a spot in the Northeast region semifinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), which includes some 450 groups competing in nine regions in the United States and Europe. A win in the semifinals—held last month at the Berklee College of Music in Boston— would have advanced them to the championship round at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City on April 27. The last time a BC ensemble made the ICCA semifinal level was when the Dynamics did so in 2008.

While the group didn’t make the cut for this year’s final (Berklee’s Upper Structure won the Northeast region), representing Boston College at the ICCA was a remarkable moment for the Dynamics. And for senior members like Sloan and Deignan, who joined the Dynamics when they were first-year students, the competition was the capper on an integral part of the college experience.

“I always knew that I wanted to have a musical outlet at BC, and given that

and many other popular music genres. Among the other highlights of recent years, Sloan noted, have been performances at end-of-semester cafés and halftime shows, releasing award-winning music videos, and recording a 14-track album that was nominated for a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA).

“I view our placement [in ICCA] as a sign that BC can compete with the best of the best in the a cappella community,” said Deignan.

“Boston College has a profoundly talented arts community,” Sloan said. “Our school is just as competitive in the performing arts as it is in other sectors, and it was a pleasure to be invited to the stage at Berklee with such talented students committed to the same art that we are.”

“We are so proud of how our performance went,” said senior Julia McCahill, the group’s business manager. “Many late nights and lots of dedication went into making our set the best it could be, and we definitely grew closer together as a group because of it. It was really exciting for that work to pay off and to show the audience what we created.”

my parents and sister were in a cappella groups in college, it seemed like the perfect option,” said Sloan, who is also the group’s music director. “I ultimately chose the Dynamics as I found the complexity of their arrangements and style were the

Egan to Receive Kelleher Award

Adelene (Addie) Egan ’18, whose photographs of health care workers on the front lines during the COVID pandemic went viral, will be awarded the Connell School of Nursing’s 2024 Dean Rita P. Kelleher Award. Named after the school’s first faculty member and former dean, the Kelleher Award recognizes a graduate of the Connell School who embodies the BC nurse: an accomplished nurse leader, an ethically aware scientist, and inquisitive clinician.

The award will be presented to Egan by Connell School Dean Katherine Gregory at a private event on April 22. Egan also will join other BC graduates on a panel for a networking and mentoring event for CSON students, sponsored by The Council for Women of Boston College.

Since graduating from BC with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, Egan has worked at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, first as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department. She then shifted to Neonatal Intensive Care, where she is currently a senior staff nurse. She also became a sexual assault forensic nurse examiner. Egan has said that being a nurse during COVID was “humbling, heartbreaking, and beautiful.”

It was during her time as an ED nurse that Egan drew national attention for her photos of colleagues working at NewYorkPresbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Her photo collection, “Faces of the Frontlines” [addieegan.wixsite.com/mysite], featured various hospital personnel, from

transport staff, environmental services workers, and patient service representatives to nurses and doctors.

The photo project, Egan explained, was her way to “uplift my co-workers through photography and storytelling during a trying and unprecedented moment in history. Despite uncertainty about the virus and fear surrounding personal health, my co-workers show up day after day, completely prepared to give everything they can for their patients.”

Her photos were featured in the book COVID-19: Inside the Global Epicenter: Personal Accounts from NYC Frontline Healthcare Providers by Krutika Raulkar, M.D. —Kathleen Sullivan

most comparable to the kind of musical experience I was seeking. I could not be happier with my choice.”

Founded in 1998, BC Dynamics has grown into a premiere performing group with a repertoire that spans Top 40, R&B,

BC Scenes

Learn more about the group at thebcdynamics.com

Yashi Phougat is a senior in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences and a BC Social Fellow.

Some soared like eagles, some just jumped—even adding their own sound effects—but the participants in Saturday’s second annual Boston College Polar Plunge all helped raise $35,000 for Massachusetts Special Olympics, exceeding its goal by $5,000. The event, held in chilly temperatures outside the Connell Recreation Center, was organized by the BC Police Department, in collaboration with the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics and BC Special Olympics.

Polar Plunge

PHOTOS BY PATRICK MILLS

BC Dynamics shown during a recent performance. The group took part in a major intercollegiate a cappella competition and made the regional semifinals.

photo courtesy of bc dynamics

Connell School alumna Adelene Egan

Marilyn Matelski; Was First Female Full Professor and Chair of Communication Department

Marilyn J. Matelski, a beloved longtime Boston College Communication Department professor, died on April 6 after a lengthy illness. She was 74.

After joining the BC faculty in 1978, Dr. Matelski became the department’s first female full professor in 1992 and served as chair of the department from 1995-1998. She developed the department’s first radio lab, which was subsequently transformed into a multi-media center. Later, she became the department’s first full female professor emerita; Dr. Matelski retired in 2017.

“Marilyn was a devoted teacher and cherished faculty mentor,” said longtime colleague Donald Fishman, an associate professor and assistant chair. “She was quick witted and quick thinking and had a way of getting at the essence of a problem with an astute solution. Her death is a great loss for our department and generations of BC students.”

Dr. Matelski authored or co-authored, with Nancy Sweet, 13 books on broadcast media, media history, and Russian and Chinese business, and published over 50 scholarly articles. In 2004, she told The Heights, “I’ve always liked writing, yet I continue to be astonished if a publisher is interested. I’ve been lucky. I haven’t been turned down yet.”

Dr. Matelski’s accomplishments went beyond the printed word. She appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show,” and she interviewed pioneering female television sitcom stars Shirley Jones (“The Partridge Family”), Susan Clark (“Webster”), and Barbara Billingsley (“Leave it to Beaver”) at the Museum of Television and Broadcasting in Chicago.

It was her role as a teacher, and as one who dedicates her whole self to her students, however, for which she was best known. BC football legend Doug Flutie ’85 cited Dr. Matelski as one of his top two BC faculty members.

“I had switched into a communication major [from computer science] and had several courses with her, but I really appreciated how she went out of her way to help me out with my own public speaking, interviews, and television appearances,” Flutie told Boston College Chronicle in 2013. “I remember watching an interview of me after the high school all-star game and realizing how shy and quiet I was; I wouldn’t even look at the camera. Between taking courses, Marilyn’s help, and just by doing all those interviews, the difference from freshman to senior year was amazing.”

Although she originally sought a career in television, Dr. Matelski declined an offer to become a weather reporter, and instead took a job teaching, which instantly

became her primary passion in life.

“The great thing about BC is that the students are so great,” she told The Heights. “There is always a sense of energy and optimism. I have days where things just don’t go so well, and I walk into a classroom, and I just forget [the bad].”

When asked whether—if forced into a decision—she would give up writing or teaching, she immediately chose the former. “I have the luck to be in a profession that I feel good about and get so engrossed in. Do what you love to do because [that way] it will always be fun.”

Born in Fort Wayne, Ind., and raised in Detroit, Dr. Matelski earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado.

Dr. Matelski was preceded in death by her parents, Harry Alfred and Carol, and her brother, Harry (Chip) Matelski Jr. She is survived by her companion Nancy Street; her nieces Janet Carol MatelskiSmith, Lisa Anne Holland, and Amy Lynn Matelski; her great nephew Tiernan Dietrich Smith; and many cousins. The family wishes to acknowledge its gratitude to the staff on the fourth floor of the Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton for their compassionate care and resourcefulness during her lengthy illness.

Private family services will be held. In lieu of flowers, remembrances and donations may be made to the Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Montana, c/o Montana Community Foundation in the memory of Marilyn J. Matelski.

—University Communications

University Finance

Conference Will Take Place on May 3

Appearances by leading figures in global security, technology, and monetary policy will highlight the annual Boston College Finance Conference on May 3, with such speakers as former United States Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, artificial intelligence researcher and innovator Anima Anandkumar, former Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren, Kraft Group President Jonathan Kraft, and New York Giants President and CEO John Mara ’76.

“While our annual financial conference always brings together an impressive set of speakers, the lineup this year is exceptional, bringing together a former U.S. secretary of defense, a former Fed president, a leading expert on AI, and two high-ranking executives from the NFL,” said Associate Professor of Finance Jonathan Reuter, the faculty co-chair of the event. “It promises to be a fascinating day.”

Hosted by the Carroll School of Management, the Finance Conference brings together academic researchers, policy makers, and leaders in financial services, who engage with alumni and other conference participants on urgent issues affecting the industry.

During his 44 years in the Marines, Mattis rose from reservist to four-star general. He led the U.S. Central Command, where he was in charge of all American forces serving in the Middle East and oversaw operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Syria, Iran, and Yemen. He retired from the post in 2013, but in 2017 he was named Secretary of Defense, a post he held for two years during the Trump administration.

Anandkumar is a leading academic researcher with equally deep experience in business and practical applications. She specializes in using AI in cloud computing to solve real-world problems. Anandkumar is a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow in computer science, former Senior Director of AI Research at NVIDIA, and a Bren professor at Caltech. She formerly served as Principal Scientist at Amazon Web Services. Rosengren is a 35-year veteran of the

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, serving the last 14 of those years as president and CEO. He was on the Fed’s Open Market Committee during some of the most turbulent periods in the past 50 years, leading the Boston Federal Reserve Bank through the 2008 financial crisis and the pandemic. Rosengren’s deep understanding of financial markets and financial institutions enabled him to play a central role in designing and operating emergency facilities to bolster the national economy.

Kraft oversees the day-to-day operations of all the Kraft Group’s companies, including the New England Patriots, New England Revolution, Gillette Stadium, and Patriot Place.

Now in his 33rd season with the Giants, Mara is one of the NFL’s most prominent and respected owners. He was at the forefront of planning and negotiations for MetLife Stadium, where the Giants have now been playing for 13 seasons. He is also the chairman of the league’s Management Council Executive Committee, and serves on several other NFL committees.

The conference website is at bit.ly/BCFinance-Conference-2024.

—University Communications

photo by lee pellegrini

Marilyn Matelski

James N. Mattis

u s army photo by monica king

BC Arts

A New Chapter for Arts Fest with ‘Book of Us’

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

The 26th annual Boston College Arts Festival, which takes place April 25-27, will present impactful performances paired with whimsical activities and dramatic moments—all involving some 600 faculty, students, staff, and alumni artists in the BC community.

The 2024 festival theme is “The Book of Us,” as its more than 40 events—including dance, theater, music, literature, film, makers, and showcases—tell stories through art, according to organizers. Events at the family-friendly festival are open to the public, and most are free of charge. The schedule will be available at bc.edu/artsfestival.

“I hope everyone stops by to celebrate the amazing growth of the arts on campus and simply has a good time enjoying the wealth of talent,” said BC Arts Council Chair and Professor of Theatre Crystal Tiala, who noted an important change this year: The Arts Festival Main Tent will move to the Mod Lot behind Robsham Theater Arts Center on Lower Campus with an exciting makeover of the schedule of events. There also will be a new concept for the juried Art Tent, located near the Main Tent, and better exhibition space in Robsham Theater.

Other event venues during the popular campus celebration are Robsham Theater, the Cabaret Room in Vanderslice Hall, and Gasson Hall.

Each year, the festival brings acclaimed alumni artists back to campus to be honored with Alumni Artist Awards, which recognize graduates who have demonstrated creativity, innovation, leadership, and vision through their contributions to the arts, and serve as role models to aspiring BC student artists. BC Student and Faculty/Staff Art Awards also are presented for accomplishments and contributions to the arts.

The 2024 alumni honorees are musician Shelagh Abate ’97, who has extensive experience on Broadway and beyond, and Shannon Riley ’08, the CEO and founder of Building 180, which brings art and design projects to life. An internationally renowned French horn player and educator, Abate has a passion making music that transcends genres. She is a leading figure in the New York City freelance world and beyond, with versatile artistry in the classical, contemporary, commercial, and jazz idioms. Riley’s full-service art production and consulting agency curates and produces uniquely complex art installations from conception to completion. She thrives on working within her community and believes in building confidence through creative efforts.

This year’s Faculty/Staff Art Award honoree is Lee Pellegrini, the director of photography in the Boston College Office of University Communications. Student Award winners are seniors Sindey Amar,

Katy Gilmore, Thomas Griffin, Colin Klein, Bonnie Stewart, TeRoncé Williams, and Lucy Xiao; and juniors Xinran (Cina) He and Nicholas Vye; the winner of the Jeffery Howe Art History Award also will be announced. The BC bOp! jazz ensemble will receive the Student Group Artist Award.

[Full biographies of Arts Award winners available at bc.edu/artsfestival]

The festival kicks off on April 25 with “The Artist’s Journey: Arts Council Award Ceremony,” at 4 p.m. in the Main Tent. Abate and Riley will speak about their personal journeys and formation in their artistic fields, and the Arts Award ceremony will be held. It will be followed by a networking reception sponsored by the Alumni Arts Circle, with performances

by BC bOp! and the University Chorale. There is no cost to attend the awards reception, but registration is required by April 24 at: rb.gy/0h008t.

Among the many Arts Festival highlights will be a “BC’s Best” showcase of student bands and singer-songwriters and “Cultural Kaleidoscope,” a storybook of cultural evolution told through BC artists and performance groups. New events this year include a student talent show, and “Festival Friday,” featuring an art show walk, crafting, and henna art. A “Community Day” will once again offer musical and theatrical events, and other family activities, the McMullen Museum of Art will host an Earth Day celebration, and the Theatre Department/RTAC will stage “She Kills Monsters.”

“The Book of Us” theme was chosen by the Arts Council student staff, led by

senior directors Sindey Amar, Megan Cassidy, and Emme DeVito, to focus on intentional storytelling to represent the depth and breadth of artistry at Boston College. It will be reflected in programming, including an outdoor gallery of artist portraits and statements, spoken word, music, and dance presentations. Organizers encourage the campus community to “take in all that the festival has to offer, one page at a time.”

Organized by the Arts Council, the BC Arts Festival includes sponsorship from the offices of the President and the Provost and Dean of Faculties, the Arts Council committees, Student Affairs, and the Dean’s Office of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, with support from the Alumni Association, the Boston College Police Department, the Boston College Bookstore, and BC Facilities and grounds crew members.

Above: Student artists are a powerful presence at the BC Arts Festival. Below: Alumni Arts Award honorees Shannon Riley ’08, left, and Shelagh Abate ’97. arts festival photos by lee pellegrini and caitlin cunningham