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

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 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.

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.

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