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Gosselin Is New Dean of Admission

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Grant Gosselin, who in five years as director of undergraduate admission has helped Boston College achieve remarkable success in recruitment and enrollment despite the COVID-19 pandemic, has been appointed as dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid, effective June 1.

In his new position, Gosselin will continue oversight of the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admission while working closely with the Office of Financial Aid administration and staff. He also will play a key role in shaping strategies and objectives for BC’s undergraduate recruitment and enrollment.

Bellarmine Award Goes to Education Innovator Walsh

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Mary E. Walsh—namesake of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development’s Center for Thriving Children—is this year’s recipient of the Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., Award in recognition of her exemplary career and significant contributions that have consistently and purposefully advanced the mission of Boston College.

Walsh, the Daniel E. Kearns Professor in Urban Education and Innovative Leadership at the Lynch School, will receive the faculty honor from University President William P. Leahy, S.J., at the University Commencement Exercises on May 22. She is the fourth recipient of the award, named for the Italian cardinal, influential professor, and one of the leading figures in the Counter-Reformation.

Drawing from research in child development and learning, Walsh, a clinical developmental psychologist and BC faculty member since 1989, has advanced a pathbreaking, evidence-based “whole child” approach to supporting students in school. Under her leadership, the Walsh Center

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“I am excited to accept the job as dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid,” said Gosselin, a 1997 graduate of the Carroll School of Management, a 2002 graduate of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and parent of a current BC undergraduate. “I have tremendous respect for the talented people in the offices of Undergraduate Admission

and Financial Aid, who are leaders in their respective fields, and look forward to building on our relationship.

“I’m especially pleased that, as dean,

I will work on the overall vision of our undergraduate admission program, yet still provide day-to-day engagement with students and families who want to be part of BC.”

Gosselin honed his expertise in undergraduate admission at BC—where he served as senior assistant director of undergraduate admission and associate director of marketing and international admission—before going on to Babson College and Wheaton College. As chief enrollment officer at both Babson and Wheaton, he set historic highs in applications and enrolled students, as well as in international student recruitment. He also implemented a new admission marketing strategy that included affordability and yield campaigns and a high school counselor communications plan.

Since returning to BC in 2018, Gosselin has been instrumental in a host of impressive achievements in undergraduate admission: In the last five years, undergraduate applications have risen 20 percent, the admit rate has dropped from 28 to 15

Continued on page 8

Nobel Laureate Romer Will Join BC

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Nobel laureate Paul M. Romer, one of the most influential economists of this century, will join Boston College as the Seidner University Professor in the Carroll School of Management, beginning this fall.

Romer, a 2018 Nobel honoree, will launch the Carroll School’s new Center for the Economics of Ideas and join the faculty of the Finance Department, which is consistently ranked among the nation’s best undergraduate finance programs and among the most productive for faculty scholarship.

“Paul Romer’s pioneering work spans economics, technology, urbanism, and a range of other fields—consistently challenging conventional wisdom and summoning up new ways of understanding fundamentals,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley.

“He possesses a remarkable fluency across topics and ways of knowing. His scholarship and teaching, and his leadership of the new Center for the Economics of Ideas at Boston College, promise to expand on his pathbreaking accomplishments and open up new horizons to direct change

for the common good.”

The Seidner University Professorship was made possible through a gift from BC Trustee Marc Seidner ’88 and the Seidner family.

“I’m very excited about the course that Boston College is setting with the new Center for the Economics of Ideas,” said Romer, who joins BC following 13 years at New York University.

“In the pursuit of progress, the market can be the vehicle, but the values of science, scholarship, and enlightenment must be the compass. We’ve got plenty of disruption. What’s missing is direction.”

Andy Boynton, the John and Linda Powers Family Dean of the Carroll School of Management, said the addition of Romer to a world-class faculty offers great opportunities for both Boston College and the Carroll School.

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I had many teachers at BC who cared deeply about our intellectual lives, yet cared as much about the kind of people we would become...I dedicate these awards to them.

–carroll school faculty member thomas wesner page 3

2 First Year Convocation Author Tracy Kidder will return as guest speaker and discuss his new book, Rough Sleepers

4-5 Seniors to Remember Members of the Class of 2023 reflect on their experiences at BC.

6 Group Effort Morrissey College and Lynch School faculty collaborate on a project that’s just received an NSF grant.

Paul Romer will lead the Center for the Economics of Ideas as the Seidner University Professor in the Carroll School of Management.

photo by joshua dalsimer

photo by lee pellegrini

Grant Gosselin

Kidder to Return for First Year Academic Convocation

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

Nearly two decades after appearing at Boston College’s inaugural First Year Academic Convocation, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder will return to campus in September to discuss his critically acclaimed new book, Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People, with the 2023 freshman class.

Organized by the Office of First Year Experience, the convocation will be held on September 7. The Class of 2027 will gather on Linden Lane to receive a charge from faculty, administrators, and the Jesuit community of Boston College to “go and set the world aflame.” They will then process to Conte Forum to hear from Kidder and the convocation’s other guest speakers.

The event begins BC’s Conversations in the First Year, which engages each incoming class in a reflective dialogue around a common text—and helps create the year’s academic theme—as a means to offer insight into how to respond to life’s questions and find direction in their personal journey. Among the authors whose works have been explored by previous first-year classes are Barack Obama, John McCain, Ann Patchett, Jeanette Walls, Bruce Springsteen, and Liz Hauck ’00, M.Ed. ’09.

A master of reporting and nonfiction storytelling, Kidder will be accompanied by Jim O’Connell, M.D.—the subject of his inspiring story of a dedicated doctor, who after completing his medical residency some 40 years ago helped to create a medical

Snapshot

Fair to Muddling

system for the homeless people of Boston. Kidder spent time over five years riding with Dr. O’Connell as he navigated the city at night, offering medical care, socks, soup, empathy, and friendship to some of the city’s endangered citizens.

Dr. O’Connell and his colleagues lead an organization that includes clinics affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Medical Center, and a host of teams that serve special groups, including one that reaches “rough sleepers”—people who sleep on the streets, “in the rough”—by van.

Kidder takes readers deep into Dr. O’Connell’s world, much as he did with Paul Farmer, M.D., in his Pulitzer Prizewinning Mountains Beyond Mountains—the common text for the First Year Academic Convocation in 2004, at which Kidder spoke with Dr. Farmer.

“For the Class of 2027, Rough Sleepers is a wonderful introduction to the lifelong process of discernment that is so central to the philosophy of formative education at Boston College,” said Michael Sacco, executive director of the Center for Student Formation and Office of First Year Experience, of the book’s selection as the common text given to students at summer orientation.

“First-year students will benefit greatly from reading this honest, reflective, and authentic account of someone who has significantly impacted the way in which Boston cares for its unhoused population,” he said. “By engaging with both Kidder and Dr. O’Connell, we hope that our students can envision what a life of service to others might mean for them.”

That Rough Sleepers is set in Boston, Sacco added, “only reinforces the notion that our students do not have to travel great distances to live in solidarity with others.”

Called a “magnificent, deeply researched, and inspiring book,” Rough Sleepers tells the stories of Dr. O’Connell and other health care professionals, as well as some of the members of the homeless community whom they serve and accompany. The stories highlight the dignity of each person and the importance of integrating care for the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of a person.

Rough Sleepers “invites you to consider how accompaniment with others will lead to greater understanding of yourself and how the experience of vulnerability and reflection inform how you engage with the world around you,” according to the accompanying reading guide provided to students, encouraging them to ponder such impor-

tant questions as:

How you can you be an agent for reconciliation in today’s world? How can you show compassion to those you encounter at Boston College?

As you begin your BC experience, we want you to think about what it means for you to be part of a community of care. How can you contribute to that? How will you grow from that? How will you use your “gifts and talents to advance the common good”?

“At Boston College, we have long understood from the Jesuits about the importance of engaging students in a conversation that encourages their growth intellectually, socially, and spiritually,” Sacco explained. “The format of the conversation can vary, but the aim remains to encourage students to be attentive to their experiences and reflective of their meaning with the hope that this will help them discern their role in the world.

“Throughout Tracy Kidder’s biography of Dr. Jim O’Connell, he highlights a multitude of examples of him paying close attention to his life experiences, reflecting upon their meaning, and living in a way that translates this meaning into action to create a better world,” Sacco said.

“First Year Academic Convocation celebrates BC’s rich intellectual tradition while welcoming the incoming class into the University’s academic community,” he added. This “treasured University tradition ignites the type of meaningful conversation students will continue to find and engage in throughout their years at Boston College.”

For University community members interested in Rough Sleepers, it will be available at the BC Bookstore. For more on the author, see tracykidder.com.

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Patricia Delaney

EDITOR

Sean Smith

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Phil Gloudemans

Ed Hayward

Rosanne Pellegrini

Kayla Roy

Kathleen Sullivan

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Caitlin Cunningham

Lee Pellegrini

www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu

Renowned author Tracy Kidder

Rain enhanced playing conditions for the Campus Activities Board’s annual “Mudstock” volleyball tournament on May 4. photos by yating wang ’24 and macy cherra ‘26

photo by frances kidder

Mary Walsh’s “consistent focus on developing the whole child fits wonderfully with the BC formative education mission,” according to Lynch School Dean Stanton

E.F. Wortham.

A Pair of Teaching Honors for Carroll School’s Wesner

BY JOHN WALSH SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Thomas Wesner, associate professor of the practice in the Carroll School of Management’s Business Law and Society Department and director of the Catalyst Program, is this year’s winner of two prestigious teaching awards: the Boston College Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award and the Ever to Excel Rev. John R. Trzaska, S.J., Faculty Award.

A 1989 BC graduate who earned a doctorate in 2007 from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Wesner began teaching part-time in the Carroll School in 2005 and became an associate professor of the practice in 2015.

Walsh to Be Presented With Bellarmine Award

Continued from page 1

and its signature initiative, City Connects, have grown to annually serve 50,000 students in public, charter, and Catholic schools in Massachusetts and other states, as well as Dublin, Ireland.

She recently retired from teaching but has continued as the executive director of City Connects, and the Walsh Center for Thriving Children.

“We are thrilled that Mary Walsh and her extraordinary work are being recognized with this prestigious University award,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J. Dean of the Lynch School. “She and the City Connects team exemplify a powerful blend of firstrate research brought into practice for the benefit of others, exactly the kind of work that we aim to do at the Lynch School and Boston College.”

City Connects, an intervention that Walsh and her Boston Public School colleagues launched in 2001 within schools serving predominantly under-resourced neighborhoods and families, has demonstrated gains in academic achievement and student success by effectively addressing both the in- and out-of-school needs of students. Her focus on improving education for urban school students emanated from her initial research with homeless children and families, a formative experience that identified and linked the harmful impact of out-of-school challenges on students’ academic performance. City Connects has become one of the nation’s leading networks for connecting students in high-needs urban schools with the resources required to thrive.

Through an anonymous $10 million

gift, the Center for Optimized Student Support was renamed the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children in February 2022, to honor its founder.

“For three decades, Mary Walsh has been building an exceptional program that is improving the lives of tens of thousands of children,” said Wortham at the renaming event. “She conceptualized it, raised funds for it, and commissioned research that shows it is both successful and costeffective. Her consistent focus on developing the whole child fits wonderfully with the BC formative education mission.”

Walsh has published and presented widely in the area of school-community supports for students and their families, and written or co-written three books: Children, Health and Learning; Meeting at the Hyphen: Schools-Universities-Communities-Professions in Collaboration for Student Achievement and Well-Being, and Moving to Nowhere: Children’s Stories of Homelessness.

Walsh earned a bachelor’s degree from the Catholic University of America, and a master’s degree in developmental psychology and a doctorate in clinical-developmental psychology from Clark University, from which she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 2005.

She began her academic career as a lecturer at Assumption College and Clark University, then served as clinical and research consultant and an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and an associate professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Regis College, before joining the BC faculty.

Wesner is beloved by students both within the Carroll School and across the University, reflected by the lines of students outside his office who seek his mentorship and want to discuss coursework and career discernment. In the classroom, Wesner pushes students to think critically about the myriad ways that law impacts all aspects of business, as well as the responsibility businesses have to the common good. He mixes lecture, Socratic dialogue, and discussion to create a high-energy, intellectually stimulating environment infused with Jesuit pedagogy and its service-oriented focus.

Describing his approach to teaching, Wesner said, “We are training future leaders who will play critical roles in society. Knowing that an exchange in class, or comments that I make on student work, could positively influence their thinking and actions years from now motivates me.”

The Teacher of the Year Award presented by the BC chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities, recognizes an outstanding teacher who significantly affects their students and the academic community, and who embodies values such as intellectual rigor, moral courage, and a commitment to social justice. It is considered one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon an educator at a Jesuit, Catholic institution.

The student-nominated Ever to Excel Faculty Award recognizes a faculty member who expands the horizons, skills, and value systems of Boston College students by providing support outside the classroom.

At the recent Alpha Sigma Nu award ceremony, Chloe Lelon ’23 said of Wesner, “Although he has nearly 120 students every semester and his office is always full, he treats each student as his only one. He is attentive to the unique needs of his students and never overlooks anyone. I strongly admire Professor Wesner’s teaching skills, but I admire his dedication, hard work, wisdom, and care for his students even more.”

“I am extremely grateful, yet want to be very clear that no educator does anything alone,” said Wesner of the awards. “BC’s multi-layered ecosystem ensures that we have everything we need to be successful and there are so many great people here

“We are training future leaders who will play critical roles in society,” says Thomas Wesner. “Knowing that an exchange in class, or comments that I make on student work, could positively influence their thinking and actions years from now motivates me.”

who make our work possible.”

Wesner’s reverence for this ecosystem and the tradition of Jesuit education can be traced to the experiences of his father and uncle, which he cites as inspiration for his work at Boston College today.

“During World War II, my father and uncle left Boston Latin School to join the service. They survived the war, received their GEDs and attended BC on the GI Bill. My grandfather died while my dad was a senior and my uncle a junior. Ten Jesuits took part in the funeral Mass and a few days later, BC’s business manager (a Jesuit) saw my dad on campus, recognizing him from the funeral. This Jesuit told him to visit St. Mary’s, where he proceeded to waive my dad and uncle’s attendance fees after learning my grandmother didn’t have a job.

“Throughout my childhood, I was reminded often about these acts of kindness as among the most important factors in my family having a shot at the American dream. I am forever indebted to BC for this.”

Reflecting on the significance of receiving these two awards in the same year, Wesner said, “How grateful I am to teach at my alma mater, a place that seeks to provide an experience that transforms lives. I had many teachers at BC who cared deeply about our intellectual lives, yet cared as much about the kind of people we would become. These teachers provided a model for me of how teaching can be such transformational work; I dedicate these awards to them.”

John Walsh is director of creative video services in the Office of University Communications

photo by caitlin cunningham

photo by caitlin cunningham

SENIORS TO REMEMBER Members of the Class of 2023 reflect on their BC experiences

work, determination, and long hours. But I didn’t want to short-change the students who elected me, or any student at BC. I knew that I had the talents and the gifts to do the job and that if I applied myself to the fullest extent, I could put UGBC in a new, stronger position to fiercely advocate.

How has your perspective on leadership changed compared to when you arrived for freshman year?

Lubens Benjamin

Carroll School of Management

Hometown: Cambridge, Mass.

Majors: Management, with a marketing concentration, and philosophy

Notable Activities/Achievements: Undergraduate Government of BC president (20222023); chair, AHANA+ Leadership Council; Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship finalist (2022); Ever to Excel/Welles Remy Crowther Award for service; mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts; Office of First Year Experience orientation leader; Student Admission Program student ambassador; Kairos Retreat leader; Appalachian Volunteers student leader; Courage to Know teaching assistant; Arrupe Immersion Program in El Salvador.

Post-Graduation Plans: Marketing or consulting work; considering M.B.A. study in the future

Mentors: Matt Razek (Student Affairs); Marissa Papula (Campus Ministry); Chris Darcy (First Year Experience); Steven Koo (Undergraduate Admission); Amy LaCombe (Carroll School); Emily Egan (Campus Ministry); Fr. Anthony Pena (Campus Ministry); Stephen Pope (Theology); Mary Troxel (Philosophy); Doc Miller (Arrupe Immersion Program); Drew Barksdale (CSOM Career Advisor); Michael Davidson, S.J. (Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center; Montserrat Coalition).

As the type of person who thrives with a full schedule, Benjamin has filled his days at BC with a broad array of leadership, service, and academic roles, from UGBC president to mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts to welcoming visitors and new students as a Student Admission Program guide and a First Year Experience orientation leader. He also co-organized the ALC Showdown dance competition and the ALC Ball. He’s even been invited to deliver this year’s commencement address at his high school alma mater, St. Joseph’s Preparatory High School in Brighton.

What experiences at BC had the most significant impact on you?

Being a Kairos leader is a great way to learn what servant leadership is all about. It’s about putting the needs of participants and the team before your own. It had an impact on me as chair of AHANA+ Leadership Council and the following year as UGBC president. As president of UGBC, I could put that servant leader approach into action: to have the interests of the student body before my own personal ambitions; to do my best to better the student experience. It took a lot of hard

When I first arrived at BC, I thought of leadership as someone in charge and bossing others around. Now, I know that such a big part of leadership is being able to listen and to have some poise in situations. Poise is a skill I have tried to cultivate while at BC—think a little bit longer before you make a decision. It can make a difference in your life and the lives of those impacted by those decisions. I’m much more comfortable in those seconds of silence before answering a question, or giving my opinion. BC has been a big part of learning that skill. There is an emphasis here on slowing down and reflecting. I realized that if can do that—and have poise—in those little moments, it can make all the difference.

What was your most impactful academic experience?

So much of my philosophy study has taken root in ethics. That led me to Professor Pope and I was lucky to have almost a full year learning from him. I took his The Challenge of Justice class in the fall, traveled to El Salvador with him during winter break, and took his Theology, Service, and Solidarity class this semester. They all helped me to find my faith and connect that faith to service. He teaches us that if we are made in the image and likeness of God and believe God is a God of justice, then we are made to carry out God’s will. Once he broke that down for me, I had an epiphany: This is what I’ve been trying to get at for so long.

—ED HAYWARD

Isabella Secchiaroli

Connell School of Nursing

Hometown: Milford, Conn.

Notable Achievements/Activities: Leader, FirstYear Nursing Seminar; Women’s Club Water Polo (co-president and captain senior year); Campus Activities Board (CAB); PULSE; 4Boston; Appalachian Volunteers Program; Sigma Theta Tau international honor society of nursing; member, Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit honor society; Carol A. Ghiloni Oncology Student Nurse Fellow at Mass General Hospital.

Mentors: Sheila Tucker (Connell School); Kerry Reardon (Connell School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital); Lucy Shippee (Mass General Hospital).

Post-Graduation Plans: Will take the NCLEX licensure exam this summer and hopes to work as an adult oncology or pediatrics nurse in the Connecticut/New York area.

Secchiaroli’s interest in health care is personal—her father is immunosuppressed and lives with chronic illness—and she has seen the emotional as well as physical impact that chronic illness, and sickness in general, has on the whole person. She was drawn to a career in nursing because it combined her interest in working with people with her love for science. But BC has gone beyond her expectations—not only training her to become a compassionate and skilled nurse, but providing opportunities for personal growth through service, mentoring, and team sport.

How has BC made a difference in your life? What originally drew me to BC was this idea of educating the whole person. The Jesuit values really spoke to me, as well as the service compo-

lege Fashion Club; Phaymus dance organization; Student Admission Program ambassador.

Mentor: Anitza Grubb (CSOM)

Post-graduate Plans: Work as wealth management analyst at Bank of America, then study for an M.B.A. at New York University.

Annika Sharma

Carroll School of Management

Hometown: Short Hills, NJ

Majors: Finance and marketing with a philosophy minor

Notable Achievements/Activities: AHANA Bowman Scholar; Women in Business; 2020 Miss Massachusetts Teen USA Winner; 2023 Miss Massachusetts Winner; president, Boston Col-

Sharma always made sure to prioritize service and her relationships with others before attending Boston College, and as the current Miss Massachusetts she has only furthered her passions in such spheres. Her experiences in the Carroll School and her commitment to learning about the University’s Jesuit values have propelled her to advocate for women in underrepresented fields including business and STEM. Though Sharma is sad to leave the Heights, she is already thinking about what she can do to give back to those on campus who made an impact on her.

You’ve been chosen as Miss Massachusetts in two competitions. What has it been like

nent. Another thing is the emphasis on reflection. That makes me pause and do things with intention in a way that I never would’ve. I’ve undergone the most emotional, spiritual, personal, academic growth of my entire life.

How have you incorporated service into your BC experience?

I tried to do service every year. It’s hard to remain continuous in a service commitment because of my schedule with clinical and other commitments. I did Appa freshman year at the Cristo Rey Community Center in Lansing, Mich. It was a lot of cleaning, organizing, serving breakfast every morning, helping out in the food pantry. I also did 4Boston at Sister Mary Hart afterschool program in Roxbury. I’ve done two PULSE electives, as a mentor for a middle schooler through the Harlem Lacrosse afterschool program, and working at the St. Francis House foot clinic conducted by Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. That was such a good experience. It’s really beneficial to serve people in that way. But even more so, I found myself having fun and listening to stories. It’s allowed me to engage with vulnerable populations that you don’t come into contact with when you’re on BC’s campus. Leaning into all those opportunities has made me grow and mature.

What experiences at BC had the most significant impact on you?

CAB has been one of the most formative experiences I’ve had at BC. I also would have to say water polo. I found that I needed to have outlets outside of nursing, and water polo has been one of my favorite things at BC. We’re a really special team. I didn’t play water polo prior to coming to BC, but I was a competitive swimmer since the age of five. It’s my little sisterhood that I’ve been able to be a part of all four years. Then I got the opportunity to lead it, which was incredibly rewarding. Last year, we won our regional championship in double overtime and our semi-final game in double overtime. And then we got to go to Huntsville [Ala.] for the national championship. It’s really rewarding to work together towards a common goal.

—KATHLEEN SULLIVAN

to participate in pageantry while attending college?

In high school, I was not a winner by any means. It was something fun to build my confidence.

When I won, that changed my whole life. I started a healthy living and body positivity movement virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic called “The Shape Within,” and through social media live streams and virtual programming, I have sought to be a role model for teens across Massachusetts. My bubble expanded like crazy, even now. I have been to 11 cities this semester as a result of being chosen Miss Massachusetts again. This part of my life has taken up a severe amount of my college time, but Boston College has been so supportive about the stuff that I have done. The BC faculty are incredible.

You were selected as a Governor’s STEM Scholar just prior to your freshman year at

photo by caitlin cunningham

photo by caitlin cunningham Continued on

Joann Hong

Lynch School of Education and Human Development

Hometown: University Place, Wash.

Major: Applied psychology; minor in cybersecurity and design

Notable Activities/Achievements: Served as a cybersecurity intern for the Lynch School’s undergraduate office and conducted an internal cybersecurity audit to identify possible vulnerabilities and risks; as a research assistant, investigated the intersection of cybersecurity and climate change to reveal areas where information technology security could be utilized to help address long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.

Mentors: Julia DeVoy (Lynch School); Kevin Powers (Woods College)

Post-Graduation Plans: Pursuing a career in cybersecurity; will join the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program at the Woods College of Advancing Studies this fall.

Hong’s cross-country journey from Washington state to New England and her four-year experience at Boston College resulted in the classic benefits of “re-planting” in a new and challenging environment: self-discovery, personal growth, confidence building, and potentially, a successful career path in a burgeoning industry. Above all, she’s embraced the University’s ethos of being men and women for others.

What drew you to BC and how has Boston College made a difference in your life?

First, I was impressed by its reputation for academic excellence. Secondly, I was excited to attend college in a completely different

part of the country, since I’m from the Pacific Northwest. Thirdly, I found that BC aligned with my personal and professional goals. I’m very glad to have called BC my home for the past four years; it was definitely an exciting time of continuous exploration and discovery. Through classroom discussions, reflection sessions, and guided conversations among students and faculty, BC encouraged me to personally reflect and examine my decisions by connecting course materials to my own experiences, allowing me to work on becoming a better person. I also think BC’s overall culture and emphasis on becoming men and women for others has significantly influenced the way I approach the world and inspired me to live a more meaningful life of compassion and service.

What BC experiences had the most significant impact on you?

The Lynch School’s amazing program provided opportunities for me to collaborate with peers from different parts of the country, to step outside of my comfort zone, expand my horizons, and discover new aspects of myself and the world around me.

For example, at the Atlantic Coast Conference-Academic Leadership Network ImpACCt Design Summit, I was a member of an interdisciplinary and cross-ACC team charged with designing innovative solutions for complex, real-world problems using human-centered, multi-perspective approaches. We proposed “Pod Connect,” a multi-purpose modular tool for installation in underground train stations to provide access to resources, emergency services, and to increase safety in the absence of stable Wi-Fi. Also, my dean, Julia DeVoy, a few undergraduates, and I were invited to present at the 2023 International Conference on Gender Research at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, where we shared our findings on the environmental and gendered health effects from post-consumer textile waste.

What will you miss most about BC?

I’ll miss the people at BC the most because I can confidently say that they are the kindest and most caring individuals I’ve ever met.

PHIL GLOUDEMANS

Samara (Kudzai) Kapurura

Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences

Hometown: Salem, Ore.

Major: Economics; minor in African and African Diaspora Studies

Notable Activities/Achievements: 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship; America’s Best College Poet competition winner (2021); delivered two TEDx Talks; Undergraduate Government of BC presidential candidate (2022); Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center ambassador; Magis Civil Rights Immersion Trip; Courageous Conversations facilitator; Black History Month Opening Ceremony co-chair; student co-leader for Jamaica Magis Service Immersion and Arrupe South African service programs; two-time Ever to Excel Award recipient; Morrissey College Order of the Cross and Crown honor society.

Mentors: Michael Davidson, S.J. (Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center; Montserrat Coalition); Danielle Date (Lynch School of Education and Human Development); Richard Paul (African and African Diaspora Studies Program); Emily Egan (Campus Ministry); Richard Mapeza (Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center).

Post-Graduation Plans: Considering job offer or graduate school; long-term plan is to go to law school.

Kapurura has embraced her bicultural identity as the daughter of Zimbabwe natives who immigrated to the United States a year before she and her twin sister Kundai were born. Nourished by a strong family faith, she shares her observations about herself and the larger world through the written and spoken word, and in a variety of contexts—from poetry competitions to TED Talks to intensive group discussions. She’s found Boston College to be the ideal place for her to realize and gather her strengths while traversing the challenging path of a first-generation college student.

we grew up Christian, so that aspect of BC appealed to me. But it was so interesting to learn more about BC’s values and the idea of Jesuit education—of being fully transformed, not just academically but spiritually, and your morals are shifted and molded not only in a way that makes you a smart person but a good person in society.

After four years, I have an even better sense of why BC was a good fit. Conversations about justice and spirituality come up in all sorts of subjects and all sorts of spaces. The retreat culture at BC is amazing, too; it’s a really nice refresh from when you’re, say, in the middle of a calculus exam: Why is this important to you? What else is going on in your life? What are the things that you’ve been through and how do they relate to others?

BC has been such a great place to grow fully and become elevated not only intellectually but as a person.

You’ve had your share of successes, but you ran as a candidate for UGBC president and lost. What did you take away from that experience?

I’ve had some satisfying individual achievements, but what I realized in running for UGBC is how important it is to have a strong team with you. I think I was used to running fast and running alone, and here the question was, “How do we work together to achieve this goal?” I learned the importance of being able and willing to lean on others and delegate responsibility.

You have to be flexible. Like I said, if the opportunity comes along, you take it—but it’s also important to be humble and say, “It didn’t work out.” Learn to accept life as it comes.

How does being a first-generation college student influence your overall identity?

You have to be a pioneer and a risk-taker. Kundai—who’s a product design major—and I are a good support system for one another, because there are moments when you’re lost and confused—you didn’t get the grade you hoped for on that exam, or you’re just tired— and you feel like you’re not making progress, when in fact there’s a lot of progress being made. You have to have a lot of strength, because you always have that goal in the background. You have to say, “I will wake up for that 8:30 a.m. class!”

BC. What was that experience like?

I always thought I was going to go into STEM. Being a 2019 Governor’s STEM Scholar meant that you had to conduct some very in-depth research and my project revolved around nutrition. It’s a huge passion of mine: Healthy eating and working out are large parts of my life. That was also my platform for Miss Massachusetts Teen USA—positive body image—so I wanted to combine that passion with my love of science. Even though I ended up going into business, it was such a great foundation to have going into college as I was able to have more advanced insight when I wrote research papers or conducted investigations into parts of the business world. I felt very prepared no matter what field I entered into.

You were very involved in service and activism before you came to BC as the founder of both Girl Talk Millburn and the Run for RAINN 5K. How has BC

influenced the role these interests play in your life?

The University’s motto of “men and women for others” really struck me. Volunteering and community service has been a huge part of my life and who I am, so coming here and seeing how many clubs revolved around that, and how many opportunities there were for students to get involved, was so cool to see. The food banks around Boston that I’ve been able to volunteer with have been great.

Being able to volunteer as Miss Massachusetts, and having Boston College be so open to that, is just incredible. I want to come back after graduation and organize something revolving around community service because of that impact.

—MEGHAN KEEFE

In the last four years, you’ve been chosen as America’s Best College Poet and given two TEDx Talks (both on YouTube). Was this how you envisioned college life would go? Not necessarily [laughs]. I came into college from an underprivileged background, and as a big believer in the idea that if there’s an opportunity right in front of you, do your best, jump for it. If it’s for you, you’ll prosper; if it’s not, that’s OK, you move on. So I’ve been very active and enthusiastic, trying to put myself into an opportunity if it feels right for me, and things have worked out for me, thankfully.

Why did you choose BC, and how do you view that choice now?

I knew I wanted to be in a more populated area than where I grew up, so I looked at colleges in places like Boston and New York City, and BC was among the ones I researched. My mom grew up Catholic, and in my family

You just have to recognize that these are the inevitable challenges that come with the burden of being the first to do something. But you also have to realize that the hard work does pay off: When I get discouraged, I look back and I can say, “Kudzai, you’ve been able to be all these things you didn’t even know were out there, and that’s because you put yourself in that position, even when you were so tired.” It’s been hard, and it’s been real, and it’s been such a transformative experience.

Your long-term goal is to attend law school. Why?

I feel really called to social justice and advocacy. The legal field, even in all its technicalities, just intrigues me. I like storytelling. I like investigation. I like rights and wrongs—that’s in part why (being an econ major), I like math, because there are specific rules you follow.

—SEAN SMITH

Meghan Keefe is a junior in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences

photo by lee pellegrini

photo by lee pellegrini

BC Project Seeks to Empower Low-Income Youths

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a three-year, $1.3 million grant to a transdisciplinary team of researchers from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences for a project to engage low-income families in a participatory educational program involving restorative gardening practices and artificial intelligence.

The project, “Empowering Youth in STEM and Technological Careers through AI-enhanced Sustainable and Communityfocused Urban Gardening,” builds on three recent NSF awards to the Lynch School totaling nearly $5 million, which have previously supported low-income high school students in similar agricultural technology projects, and the training of environmental science teachers. Faculty from the Lynch School, and the Engineering and Sociology departments, will co-lead the project’s management team.

“We are indebted to the NSF for its ongoing support,” said G. Michael Barnett, Lynch School professor of science education and technology, and the project’s principal investigator. “This proposal builds upon many years of work, and continues our focus to support youth to be leaders and changemakers in their own communities where they are learning and applying their scientific and technological knowledge to address issues of social and food justice.”

The project was boosted through receipt of a Schiller Institute Grant for Exploratory Collaborative Research (SI-GECR), which supports intra-University joint research and creative activities in the institute’s principal focus areas of energy, the natural environment, and health. The SI-GECR enabled the team to build the additional relation-

ships, collect pilot data, and develop the necessary partners for the work.

In collaboration with the Louisiana School to Farm Program, and Boston, Waltham, and Springfield (Mass.) Public Schools, the project will engage 180 historically marginalized youth and their families from the Bay State and Louisiana in the design and construction of artificially intelligence-enhanced farming robots that enable youth to learn how to maintain a garden, and how to use physical computing tools to successfully manage the growth and production of nutritious food.

These automated urban gardens developed by partner company FarmBot, an open source, precision agriculture program, offer an opportunity to bridge traditional gardening and 21st-century technological skills while fostering community engagement by using emerging technologies to address food security issues.

The School to Farm Program, based at Louisiana State University’s College of Agriculture in Baton Rouge, provides resources for students, parents, and teachers to find educational materials related to agriculture and nutrition at both school and home. An additional partner includes Louisiana’s Helical Farms, which grows high-volume, high-yield crops in a small and controlled hydroponic environment that mitigates the risks of weather, pests, particulates, and pathogens, and needs just 10 percent of the water required by soilgrown produce.

“These gardens will serve as a link for youth, community, and younger peers to come together to learn and share how evolving knowledge and tools can be used to support and advance improvements in urban farming,” said Barnett. “This project also offers an innovative way to support students’ examination of careers across the disciplines of agriculture and computation through near-peer mentoring, particularly

to re-engage youth who are opting out of STEM career paths.”

Avneet Hira, an assistant professor in the Engineering Department, noted that this project is a prime example of the types of interdisciplinary scholarship that an institution like BC can produce.

“With our collective work across education, engineering, environmental science, and sociology, we conceived a unique project idea that would not have been possible if we were working in our departmental silos,” she said. “We’re excited to work with our project partners in Massachusetts and Louisiana to center the voices and work of youth from minoritized communities in STEM, using community-based and participatory approaches.”

Assistant Professor of Sociology and Environmental Sciences Lacee A. Satcher said, “As a social scientist, I was so happy for the invitation to join this important project with colleagues from the Lynch School and

Engineering. I’m looking forward to doing some great work with the Boston community on behalf of BC and NSF.”

Helen Z. Zhang, a senior research associate at the Lynch School, focused on the project’s youth development aspects.

“This program will build the capacity of our youth participants to work on transdisciplinary projects of computational science, artificial intelligence, and engineering, as well as develop youth leaders who will become role models in their community through near-peer mentorship,” she said. “We are very grateful to the NSF for its support of our project.”

“This work is critical to prepare youth for the future of work and support youth in understanding the role that STEM can play to improve and make their communities more just,” said Maureen E. Kenny, a Lynch School professor of counseling, developmental and educational psychology.

Lynch School’s Braun Joins American Academy of A&S

Henry I. Braun, the Boisi Professor of Education and Public Policy and Education Research at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a prestigious, two-century-old honorary society that recognizes cross-discipline merit and stewardship that improves the culture.

Braun is one of 269 individuals from academia, the arts, industry, policy, research, and science elected to the academy this year, including Harvard political scientist Daniel Ziblatt; MIT quantum physicist Senthil Todadri; author Michael Lewis (The Undoing Project, Flash Boys, and The Big Short); and songwriter, actor, director, producer Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”).

Braun is the director of the Lynch School’s Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy, a collaborative that conducts research on various topics in educational measurement.

“We are thrilled that Henry has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the

Lynch School. “This is well-deserved recognition of his remarkable talents and outstanding work on behalf of young people and the larger society.”

Braun was elected a fellow of the American Statistical Association in 1991, and he was a co-recipient of the Palmer O. Johnson Award of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and a co-recipient of the National Council for Measurement in Education’s Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution to the Field of Educational Measurement. He is an AERA fellow, and he was elected a member of the National Academy of Education in 2017.

He has served as editor of Challenges to Measurement in an Era of Accountability; co-editor of The Dynamics of Opportunity in America; co-executive producer of the documentary “Choosing our Future: A Story of Opportunity in America,” and was co-author of an e-book by the same title.

After serving as an assistant professor of statistics at Princeton University, Braun held senior positions at the Educational Testing Service for more than 25 years prior to joining the Lynch School in 2007. He received a bachelor’s degree from McGill University, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Stanford University.

The American Academy was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by scholar-patriots who understood that a new republic would require institutions capable of gathering knowledge, and advancing learning in service to the public good.

“With the election of these members, the academy honors excellence, innovation and leadership, and recognizes a broad array of stellar accomplishments,” said Academy President David W. Oxtoby. “We hope every new member celebrates this achievement and joins our work advancing the common good.”

—Phil Gloudemans

photo by lee pellegrini

Boisi Professor Henry Braun

Faculty members involved in the “Empowering Youth in STEM and Technological Careers” project include (L-R) Lacee Satcher, Maureen Kenny, G. Michael Barnett, Avneet Hira, and Helen Zhang.

photo by lee pellegrini

Romer to Teach at BC

Continued from page 1

“Paul Romer is one of the most respected and accomplished economists in the world,” said Boynton. “By joining the Carroll School faculty community, he provides an instant injection of large doses of imagination, intellect, and aspiration into every fiber of our culture. His palpable commitment to research and teaching will benefit all of our students and faculty, and our outstanding Finance Department, in particular, will continue its rapid ascent among the best in the world.”

Romer received the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel “for integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis.” He shared the prize with Yale University’s William Nordhaus.

In honoring Romer, the Nobel Prize organization said his central contribution demonstrated how knowledge can function as a driver of long-term economic growth: Romer “showed how economic forces govern the willingness of firms to produce new ideas. His central theory, which was published in 1990, explains how ideas are different to other goods and require specific conditions to thrive in a market.”

Romer says that his lasting contribution was a framework for understanding the economics of ideas that parallels the traditional economics analysis of scarce physical objects.

“With each passing day, we read about advances in artificial intelligence, so it now seems obvious that how we produce and distribute ideas is far more important than how we produce and distribute physical objects,” said Romer. “But when I was in graduate school, economists could not identify the

fundamental difference between ideas and objects. At a practical level, this meant that they could not see how the social capital of trust, slowly accumulated for generations, facilitated the distribution of ideas. As a result, they could not anticipate the damage a new business model based on tracking and targeted digital advertising could do by eroding the social trust.”

A native of Denver, Romer studied at the University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

“We are delighted and proud that Paul is joining our faculty group,” said Ronnie Sadka, chair of the Finance Department and Haub Family Professor in the Carroll School. “We take great pride in our exceptional teaching and research, while maintaining a positive collegial culture. The addition of Paul demonstrates our ongoing commitment to excellence, and will greatly enhance the Finance Department and the Carroll School as a whole.”

Finance is a banner discipline at the Carroll School and most recently ranked eighth in the  U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey. In the Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai Ranking, the school placed seventh for finance globally.

The Carroll School of Management ranks among the nation’s best—with six academic departments and programs landing in the top 20 of their disciplines, according to the U.S. News survey of undergraduate schools of management in the United States.

STM Student Named Sacred Writes Public Scholarship Fellow

Armando Guerrero Estrada, at right, who is pursuing a doctorate in theology and education at the School of Theology and Ministry, is one of 12 named to the 2023 cohort of Sacred Writes: Public Scholarship on Religion, a program that provides support, resources, and networks for scholars of religion committed to translating the significance of their research to a broader audience.

Funded by the Henry Luce Foundation and hosted by Northeastern University, Sacred Writes teaches academics how to write for public audiences in order to improve religious literacy in society. Sacred Writes’ training—which incorporates social media networks, synchronous meetings, and group projects—provides an interactive, experiential, and cohort-centered education for scholars. The training offers reflection on the “what,” “why,” and “how” of public scholarship; concrete skill-building; community; and one-on-one mentorship.

Guerrero Estrada’s scholarship examines the interconnection of theological education, theologies of migration, and immigrant literature. He serves as the inaugural director of the PASOS Network at Dominican University, a network com-

mitted to the advancement of culturally sustaining practices in theological education. His work has appeared in the Journal of Latina Critical Feminism, Afro-Hispanic Review, Religious Education Journal, Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology, Spanish and Portuguese Review, and the Lamar Journal of the Humanities

—Kathleen Sullivan

The New York Times praised Kantika—the latest novel by Prof.  Elizabeth Graver (English)—as “a meticulous endeavor to preserve the memories of a family, an elegy and a celebration both.” Graver also wrote a piece for The Boston Globe recounting how an old rocking horse she and her family once put out to pasture has given rise to a mysterious communal art project.

Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology  Richard Gaillardetz provided comments to National Catholic Reporter on Pope Francis’ decision to expand participation in the upcoming Synod of Bishops to include laypersons as full members.

Speaking with The Hill, Assoc. Prof. David Hopkins (Political Science) outlined several factors contributing to the public’s lack of desire to see a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024.

Proposed amendments to add either female or gender-neutral pronouns would send the message that the Commonwealth embraces equal political participation by all, wrote Visiting Prof. Elizabeth D. Katz (Law) in a column for The Boston Globe.

Findings from a comprehensive analysis of the health hazards posed by plastics— published by an international team led by Global Observatory on Planetary Health Director  Philip Landrigan, M.D.—were featured in  The Guardian (U.K.). Landrigan’s comments on a 2022 BC-led study of air pollution in Massachusetts were featured by Boston.com.

Woods College M.S. in Cybersecurity

Policy and Governance Director  Kevin Powers spoke with The Boston Globe for a story on a ransomware incident reported by Massachusetts’ second-largest health insurer.

In an essay for  Commonweal, Libby Professor of Theology and Law  Cathleen Kaveny  considered the morality of a recent sting operation orchestrated by conservative Catholics to track wayward clerics.

Prof. of the Practice  Robert Savage (History) offered insights to The New York Times and Politico on the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement, as well as on President Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

In a New York Times story on the 16-year increase in average life expectancy since the national retirement age was set at 65,  Gal Wettstein of the Boston College Center for Retirement Research looked at age and potential for employment in a study about people’s working life expectancy.

Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies

Chair Prof.  Franck Salameh wrote a piece for the Hoover Institution “Caravan Notebook” about the Lebanon caretaker government’s move to postpone the annual switch to Daylight Saving Time, throwing into disarray global activities that depend on coordinated time zones.

The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs or scan the QR code at right.

Staff Psychologist or Staff Clinician

Assistant/Associate Director, Annual Giving

Fiscal & Operations Specialist

Life Skills Coordinator

Patrol Officer

Staff Nurse

Administrative Assistant, University Advancement

Senior Philanthropic Advisor

Senior Database Administrator

Head Librarian, Social Work Library

Assistant Director, Athletics Annual Giving

Assistant Coach, Women’s Soccer

Associate Director, Student Affairs Title IX

Resident Director, Residential Life

Assistant Director, Advancement Talent

Production Manager

Assistant Director, Admissions, School of Social Work

Quality Assurance Lead

Public Safety Dispatcher

Senior Applications Architect/Engineer

Software Release Analyst

Enrollment & Financial Aid Analyst

Multimedia Producer

Dining Management Intern

Network Engineer

Post-doctoral Research Fellow (multiple positions)

photo by christopher soldt/mts

Gosselin Named Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

Continued from page 1

percent, and this year’s yield rate projects to exceed 40 percent, a new record for BC. Such data are indicators of an elite, selective university, Gosselin noted.

A factor cited in BC’s performance has been its transition in 2019 from Early Action to a binding Early Decision (ED) program, offering applicants two opportunities to designate Boston College as their top choice university. In the last two admission cycles, more than half of enrolled students applied to BC via Early Decision.

“Early Decision has dramatically reshaped the way we identify top talent,” said Gosselin. “It has enabled those high school students who view BC as their top choice to identify themselves to us. These students tend to be an excellent fit for BC. They understand the University’s mission and culture, and they’re ready to hit the ground running.”

But ED might not have had the impact it did, he added, if not for the resourcefulness and hard work of his Undergraduate Admission colleagues during the height of the COVID pandemic, when most of the office’s programming for prospective and admitted students had to shift to a virtual format.

“Creating—and maintaining—that rapport with students and their families is such a vital part of the admission process, and our staff did a superb job under trying circumstances during the pandemic.”

Gosselin points to an array of other recent developments that have helped BC realize its undergraduate recruitment and enrollment aims, notably the University’s

BC Scenes

25th Arts Festival

partnership with QuestBridge, a highly respected non-profit program that helps high-achieving, low-income students gain admission and scholarships to the country’s top-ranked colleges and universities. Since joining the program for the 2020-2021 admission cycle, BC has enrolled more than 300 students through QuestBridge.

ing higher education institutions throughout the United States, Gosselin said, such as a decreasing college-age population as well as the often-contentious national debate about the value of a college education. However, he added, “BC is well positioned to continue its success, in that we are one of only 21 private universities that prac-

“Creating—and maintaining—that rapport with students and their families is such a vital part of the admission process, and our staff did a superb job under trying circumstances during the pandemic.”

—Grant Gosselin

an impression on prospective students and their families.

“Boston College provides students with a formative education to prepare them for their careers,” he said. “Through the University Core Curriculum, we inspire them to think not just of what career they might like to pursue, but the role they want to play in the world.”

Gosselin expressed his appreciation for retiring Vice Provost for Enrollment Management John L. Mahoney, who as Gosselin’s predecessor as director and later dean of undergraduate admission provided invaluable insight.

Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley praised Gosselin’s record as director of Undergraduate Admission. “A proud Boston College graduate and now parent, Grant Gosselin has provided visionary leadership in Undergraduate Admission since he returned to the University five years ago.  Through a historically tumultuous time, he has played an indispensable role in the introduction and successful implementation of Early Decision and he engineered our important partnership with QuestBridge.  I very much look forward to having Grant join the Council of Deans where we will all benefit from his commitment to our students and BC’s distinctive mission.”

BC faces the same challenges confront-

tices need-blind admission and is able to meet the full demonstrated financial need of the students we admit. This ensures that a Boston College education remains attainable to those earning admission, regardless of their financial means. Furthermore, we are blessed to have state-of-the-art campus resources to assist us in attracting the world’s top students.”

Recently added programs, initiatives, and facilities—like the Human-Centered Engineering program, the Global Public Health major, and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society—show BC to be a forward-thinking, 21st-century university, said Gosselin. But it is BC’s commitment to its heritage as a Jesuit, Catholic institution that continues to make

“It has been an honor to work alongside John earlier in my career and throughout these past five years,” said Gosselin. “He leaves a lasting legacy on our organization and our profession. I look forward to mentoring the next generation of leaders in admission and financial aid, as John mentored me and so many others throughout his career.

“When I enrolled at Boston College as an undergraduate, the care, guidance, and support I received from the Admission and Financial Aid staffs had a significant influence on my college choice. As BC has evolved over the years, the commitment, dedication, and professionalism demonstrated by members of these staffs continues to set the gold standard in our field. The important work we do in support of our students shapes the Boston College community in meaningful ways. In this new role, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with our colleagues in both of these offices.”

The 25th Boston College Arts Festival took place April 27-29, featuring performances by student dance troupes including Fuego, above; “Screen Printing for Social Change,” top right, sponsored by The Hatchery, the University’s “makerspace” at 245 Beacon Street; and “The Artist’s Journey,” a panel discussion with accomplished alumni artist honorees (L-R) Betsi Graves ’04, Cameron Esposito ’04, and Lulu Wang ’05.

PHOTOS BY CAITLIN CUNNINGHAM

photo by lee pellegrini