The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of University Communications may 25, 2017 vol. 24 no. 18
‘Make a Commitment’
Casey tells Class of 2017 they must ‘bring the light of compassion to the darkness’ By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Boston College has a distinguished history of service to others, US Senator Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) told the Class of 2017 at Monday’s Commencement Exercises, and he urged graduates to uphold that legacy as they go out into a world sorely in need of people who use their gifts and talents with compassion and concern for others. “I’m not asking you to commit to a lifetime of service, or to the most difficult kind of service,” said Casey, who was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, at the event. “But with only one of three adults in the US earning college degrees, the nation needs your service. Continue the work that you’ve done here, whether it be in the military or the ministry, in the public or private sector, or through volunteering in the
INSIDE 2 •Last inning for Shea Field •Campus School kids in the spotlight
•BC hosts cybersecurity day for area girls Bush to speak at 3 •Jeb finance conference •Ortiz, Hines will be Rappaport Professor in ‘17-18 •Fung Scholars Program established at BC Thoughts’; BC 6 •‘Parting honors retirees, 25-year employees
7 •BCPD reaccredited •Dr. Brown Award winner
community. “Make a commitment and remember that your labor will give hope to those who need it, and bring the light of compassion to the darkness.” Cool, cloudy weather pervaded the University’s 141st Commencement Exercises, and intermittent drizzle forced the Alumni Stadium audience to huddle under umbrellas and rain gear. Many graduates on the stadium floor went off to procure ponchos provided by BC for themselves and their classmates. Some 4,155 Boston College students received their undergraduate and graduate degrees at separate ceremonies held around campus after the main Commencement event. In addition to Casey, the University presented honorary degrees to: longtime Boston area community activist Amy Guen MSW ’52; Tiffany Gueye ’00, PhD’07, CEO of nonprofit organization BELL (Building
US Senator Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) addressing the graduates at Monday’s Commencement Exercises in Alumni Stadium. (Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert)
Educated Leaders for Life); film and television star Chris O’Donnell ’92; and Fr. Leo B. Shea, MM ’60, missioner for Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers [see page 4]. Welcoming graduates and their families and friends to Commencement, Fr. Leahy also congratulated
the Class of 2017 for their commitment to service, as well as their accomplishments at BC through intellectual and personal talents, and “abundant energy and creativity.” Fr. Leahy – who asked family and friends of graduates to stand and be recognized for their “steadfast
support, encouragement and guidance” – expressed appreciation for the contributions made by faculty, administrators, alumni and friends of the University that enabled this year’s class to fulfill its potential. As one of the world’s pre-eminent universities, invigorated by its core values, strength and confidence, BC stands ready to assist contemporary society and the Catholic Church in responding to opportunities and challenges, said Fr. Leahy. “We live in a world that desperately needs people who are willing and able to engage and help resolve difficult situations. It is simply unacceptable that so many people around the globe live amidst violence, war, poverty, and illiteracy; that religious faith is threatened by intolerance and apathy, especially in the Middle East; that racial tensions continue to exist; and that government at the state and national level struggles to Continued on page 4
Fellowships, Other Honors CSOM’s Martin Named Experience Mancini Family Asst. Prof. Enhance Learning rity Education Program Award, a By the Office of University Communications
By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Carroll School of Management faculty member Sean Martin, whose research examines the intersection of leadership, values and organizational culture, has been named the inaugural Mancini Family Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor. The appointment of Martin, who joined the Carroll School’s Management and Organization Department in 2014, is part of a continuing Boston College initiative to support promising early-career faculty members. The Mancini Family Sesquicentennial Assistant Professorship was established through a generous gift from 1960 alumnus Raymond T. Mancini, who earned his graduate degree from the Carroll School and is the parent of three BC alumni, in appreciation of the school’s commitment to excellence in research and
Sean Martin
Lee Pellegrini
teaching. “In the past several decades since my own graduation from Boston College, I have had the great pleasure of watching two generations of my family attend BC – most in the Carroll School of Management – and launch successful careers,” said Mancini. “One underlying constant has been the faculty who have helped Continued on page 3
QUOTE:
Boston College graduating seniors, current undergraduates and graduate students alike earned prestigious fellowships and grants for the coming academic year. Eight members of the Class of 2017 and three alumni have received Fulbright awards, which support a year’s post-baccalaureate study abroad – recipients typically pursue research in various disciplines, or serve an English Teaching Assistantship, through which they teach English language and provide insights about American culture. (One graduating senior also awarded a Fulbright, Liam Maguire, declined it and will instead serve in the Peace Corps as an English teacher in Namibia.) Other honors won by current or former BC students include a Winston Churchill Scholarship, a David L. Boren National Secu-
Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship, a Fund for Education Abroad Scholarship, a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Undergraduate Scholarship, Benjamin Gilman Scholarships and Critical Language Scholarships.
A look at this year’s Fulbright scholars: Mackenzie Arnold HOMETOWN: Wantage, NJ DESTINATION: Spain PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; also will do research on special education programs in the Galicia region of Spain, volunteer with an organization that provides community programs for individuals with disabilities, and hopes to organize a videoconference to bring together disability advocates in the US and Spain. FUTURE PLANS: Attend law school and pursue work in education and disability policy. Continued on page 8
“Every day I walk through the quad amazed at how lucky I am to be here. I’m leaving with this great network and great friendships, having met so many amazing mentors and taken really eye-opening classes. I feel super fortunate to have been able to go to BC.” –Finnegan Award winner Lauren Wedell ’17, page 5
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A ROUND
C AMPUS
SHEA GOODBYE Boston College bade farewell to one of its oldest athletic venues last weekend, when the Eagles baseball team played its final game on May 20 at the Commander John Shea Field. BC’s 8-7 victory over Notre Dame – earning them a spot in the ACC Tournament – closed out a 56-year run at Shea Field, named for a former BC football player and Naval aviator who was killed in action during the battle of the Solomon Islands during World War II. The baseball and softball teams will play at new facilities now under construction at Brighton Campus. The world of BC baseball – and college baseball – was very different when Shea Field opened in 1961, according to Reid Oslin ’68, MSP ’71, retired former director of sports information and Office of News & Public Affairs associate director. “BC played a New Englandonly schedule for years,” he says. “The Eagles were part of the Greater Boston League, going up against schools like Tufts, MIT
and Harvard during the week, and on weekends would play Holy Cross or Providence. You had players who not only went out for baseball but one or two other sports, too.” Shea Field had the kind of attributes one would typically desire in a baseball field, says Oslin. “It was a time when you really just played the game for pure enjoyment, and that’s what Shea was all about. There was no sound system, but you could see the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and the city skyline in the distance – it was just great.” The Eagles’ head coach when Shea Field opened was Eddie Pellagrini, an 11-year major league veteran (including a stint with the Red Sox) and a certifiable “character,” says Oslin. “Eddie couldn’t remember his players’ names half the time, but he could talk about baseball strategy in incredible, mesmerizing detail. He just had a great baseball mind, a really engaging personality.” During one practice, Pellagrini – who hadn’t picked up a bat in six years – decided to try his luck
BC prepared to take Shea Field for the last time this past Saturday. A new home on Brighton Campus awaits. (Photo by John Quackenbos)
against the Eagles’ ace pitcher Eddie Foley (father of future star BC quarterback Glenn Foley). Foley threw a spitball and Pellagrini swung and missed. “Pelly glared out at him and said, ‘Throw that thing again,’” Oslin recalls, “and this time when Foley tosses the spitball, Eddie hits a line drive over the Shea centerfield wall. Then he put the
SPECIAL KIDS, STRONG KIDS It was a special day for four special kids when Chris Ulmer arrived at the Boston College Campus School to interview them for a video project that has become a national phenomenon. After his idea for a book focused on America’s kids with special needs was rejected by 50 publishers, Ulmer set about creating an alternative: He established a nonprofit and hit the road to highlight them himself, interviewing them on camera and posting the videos to his “Special Books by Special Kids” Facebook page. The project now has more than a million followers in more than 100 countries. Ulmer visited the Campus School, which has been providing a personalized approach to students with multiple disabilites for more than four decades, in early April to film an “America Strong” segment for ABC World
Chris Ulmer and Boston College Campus School student Lana on ABC World News Tonight’s “America Strong.” (Video capture)
News Tonight. His video of Campus School students Sam, Lana, Thomas, and Noah, available via his Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/specialbooksbyspecialkids/videos], had drawn nearly 700,000 views and more than 650 comments by mid-May.
associate Vice President FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of university communications Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith
Contributing Staff Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Siobhan Sullivan Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini
The “America Strong” segment aired on ABC News [view it via YouTube at http://bit.ly/ campus-school-specialkids] on April 27, and includes some Campus School footage of Lana, as well as of students Adelaide, Ricky, and Brett (around 1:05). –University Communications
The Boston College
Chronicle www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu
bat down and went into the dugout, as if to say, ‘Don’t forget that you’re the college player; I was in the major leagues.’” As BC sports grew in stature and popularity, Shea Field was pressed into service as a parking lot, Oslin says, which meant the team often had to pick up trash before they could practice. “Eddie never cared about that.
As long as home plate was 60 feet and six inches from the pitcher’s mound, that was all that mattered.” BC baseball paid tribute to Pellagrini, who retired in 1988 and died in 2006, by naming the Shea Field diamond for him. Shea Field also was the setting for an event that arguably affected American political history, Oslin says. In the late 1960s, a Tufts player named Bill Richardson had aspirations for a professional baseball career – until BC outfielder John Salmon parked one of Richardson’s pitches in the reservoir. Instead, Richardson decided to enter politics, and wound up serving as US ambassador to the United Nations, governor of New Mexico and US secretary of energy. “He’d always tell the story of John Salmon and Shea Field – including when he was Commencement speaker at BC [1999],” says Oslin. “It just goes to show that you never know who you might be watching on the baseball diamond.” –Sean Smith
CYBERDAY4GIRLS Teen girls had an introduction to the field of cybersecurity when Boston College joined IBM Security in hosting a CyberDay4Girls event at the IBM offices in Cambridge. Twenty-five 9th grade girls from St. Mary’s High School in Lynn and Mt. Alvernia High School in Newton attended the May 5 workshop, learning tips for protecting their personal data and digital reputations, engaging in hands-on cybersecurity games and activities, and hearing from local experts about securing the Internet of Things and about career options in a fast-growing field. Cybersecurity as an industry faces a huge workforce shortage, program organizers say. The number of open positions is projected to reach 1.8 million by 2022, and women currently represent only 11 percent of the global security workforce. IBM CyberDay4Girls is designed to reach girls at a younger age, to build their interest in cybersecurity careers and help address the gender gap. The event drew high praise from attendees. It was an “amazing experience,” said Mt. Alvernia student Yelena C. “Very educational! I learned a lot about the scientific technology fields and Internet safety.” BC’s participation was organized by the Cybersecurity Policy and Governance master’s degree program, one of the nation’s first programs of its kind, at the Woods College of Advancing Studies. For more about the event, see http://bit.ly/cybersecurity-for-girls
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years as undergraduates and prepare us for the world beyond. “We are thrilled to be able to support faculty in the Carroll School of Management in perpetuity through this professorship, and we are pleased that Sean Martin has been named the first Mancini Family Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor. We look forward to seeing all he is able to accomplish and hearing about the many lives he will undoubtedly impact for years to come.” “We are thrilled that one of our best and brightest young faculty members, Sean Martin, has been honored as the inaugural recipient of the Mancini Family Sesquicentennial Assistant Professorship,” said Andy Boynton, John and Linda Powers Family Dean of the Carroll School. “Sean is a terrific scholar and excellent teacher. He moves the field with his ideas and inspires our students with his skills in the classroom. The Mancini family has long been amazingly supportive of Boston College in many ways. Their generous gift will allow us to empower and reward professors like Sean Martin, whose day-to-day interactions with our students help shape their formative years at Boston College.” Martin has worked independently and collaboratively to develop research projects and business cases with prominent companies and organizations including McCann Worldgroup, Sesame Workshop, The Nielsen Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the US Army. He also has worked with researchers from Cornell, London Business School, Harvard Business School and the universities of Texas and Michigan to develop and pilot a cutting-edge leadership course on ethical decision-making. “This is a gigantic honor, in that it represents a tremendous amount of confidence in me,” said Martin,
ministrative Science Quarterly, Organizational Psychology Review, and Journal of Business Ethics. “While I don’t trade in prestige or status, being named Mancini Family Assistant Professor is nonetheless a significant asset in terms of research. I truly appreciate this great opportunity the Mancini family’s gift has provided me.” Martin said his favorable first impressions of BC have been strengthened over the course of his nearly three years at the Heights. “BC seeks to instill the Jesuit perspective throughout the campus,” he said, “and I think we’ve put those beliefs into action in our department. We’ve built a close-knit community of faculty and students that values engagement as part of the learning experience.” In his studies of organizations, Martin has been particularly interested in how leaders’ values and actions influence the behavior and work lives of followers. This relationship, he said, is often built on misperceptions and faulty assumptions of leadership held by both parties. “I’ve had a broad set of work experiences – from landscaper to business development consultant – and at every single place I noticed really good people subjected to pressure and expectations based on their idea of leadership. “Unfortunately, in business there are a lot of myths, and plenty of bad pop psychology, regarding leadership. It’s looked on as a natural trait that you’re born with, when in fact leadership is a set of behaviors that can be learned.” Martin’s body of work includes articles in the Academy of Management Journal on two research projects related to leadership and organizational culture. One co-authored study explored how growing up wealthy or poor can relate to leader effectiveness: Its findings suggested,
rental income leads to higher levels of narcissism and a corresponding lack of engagement in key leadership behaviors – and lower leader effectiveness overall. Another study, solely by Martin, explored how different narratives in an organization convey information to, and influence behavior of, newcomers. According to Martin and his colleagues, stories that depict senior managers or other highlevel members of the organization upholding institutional values are less likely to set a positive tone for newcomers to follow than similar stories about lower-level employees. But narratives in which higher-level members – not lower-level ones – violate values tend to have a greater negative impact on newcomers’ behavior. “It’s important to look at both the spoken and unspoken communication within an organization, and the role leadership plays in that communication,” Martin said. “The organization may say it values employee feedback, but does the leadership send secret, subtle – or not-sosubtle – hints that suggest otherwise? Do the bosses act defensively in the face of criticism, or respond with ridicule? Or perhaps they keep rescheduling meetings you had requested with them? “These are the kinds of things that teach employees that speaking up is not safe. And that’s something the organization should pay attention to, because research has consistently shown that those organizations or units with more of an employee voice are higher performing groups.” Martin has a bachelor’s degree from the University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara, an MBA from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, and a doctorate from Cornell University. Read more at http://bit.ly/manciniprofessorship.
Ortiz, Hines to Teach at BC Law Carmen M. Ortiz, who as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts took on such high profiles cases as those of Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and fugitive Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, has been named the Jerome Lyle Rappaport Visiting Professor at Boston College Law School for the fall 2017 semester. According to the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy, which announced the appointment earlier this month, Ortiz will teach a seminar class on national security and participate in several panel discussions as part of the Rappaport Dis-
tinguished Public Policy Series, which sponsors forums and conferences to address societal issues with public leaders. She succeeds former Maryland governor and 2016 presidential candidate Martin O’Malley, the first to hold the professorship since the Rappaport Center moved to BC Law in 2015. The Rappaport Center also announced that Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Geraldine S. Hines – who will give the BC Law Commencement address tomorrow – will be the Rappaport Visiting Professor for the spring 2018 semester.
“This endowed visiting professorship allows us to bring thoughtful government leaders to the Law School for a semester or more to interact with our students and faculty around current public policy problems, and to teach a course within their unique area of expertise,” said BC Law Dean Vincent Rougeau. “The Rappaport Distinguished Visiting Professorship has really enriched our curriculum and our community.” Read more about Carmen Ortiz’s appointment at http://bit.ly/ ortiz-rappaport. –Boston College Law School
Former Florida Governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush will address finance industry executives and researchers at the 12th annual Carroll School of Management Finance Conference at 8:30 a.m. on June 8. Bush will deliver the Dorothy Margaret Rose Knight Economic Keynote Address. Former diplomat and current Kennedy School of Government Professor R. Nicholas Burns ’78, H’02, P’09, P’12 will address a session on geopolitics. VISA Inc. Chief Executive Officer Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. will take part in a Q&A with Goldman Sachs Advisory Director Lindsay LoBue ’96. “Our annual finance conference highlights the Carroll’s School’s preeminent position as having one of the top Finance Departments and strongest finance industry alumni base in the country,” said Carroll School John and Linda Powers Family Dean Andy Boynton ’78. “The conference brings together great minds, or faculty, alumni, and leading industry experts for a day of great ideation and exploration.” Additional conference participants include Goldman Sachs Asset Management Director and CIO of Fundamental Equity Steven Barry ’85, P’14, ’17; Kensho COO Adam Broun; Honest Dollar founder and
Wikimedia Commons
Martin Is Mancini Family Assistant Prof. Bush Keynote Highlights Continued from page 1 CSOM Finance Conference guide us through our formative whose research has appeared in Ad- among other things, that higher pa-
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Jeb Bush
CEO William Hurley; Goldman Sachs Partner and Head of Digital Strategy Larry Restieri; BC’s Shea Center for Entrepreneurship Executive Director Jere Doyle ’87, P’15, who will moderate a panel examining the financial technology, or Fintech, sector; Geode Capital Management President and CIO Vince Gubitosi ’94; Lazard Asset Management Managing Director Jay Paul Leupp P’20; and, BC Chair and Professor of Finance Ronnie Sadka, who will moderate a panel discussion on the equity market outlook. Information on the Carroll School Finance Conference is available at www.bc.edu/financeconference. –Ed Hayward
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, with Victor Fung and his wife Julia. (Photo by Justin Lim)
Boston College has been awarded a grant of $1 million by the Victor and William Fung Foundation in Hong Kong to establish the Fung Scholars Program, which will provide opportunities for students with academic gifts and leadership potential to study abroad at major universities in Asia. BC students will join the global community of Fung Scholars from distinguished institutions in Asia, Europe and the United States, including Harvard, MIT, and Princeton. “The generosity of the Fung Foundation will enable talented Boston College students interested in international affairs to
attend leading universities in Asia,” said University President William P. Leahy, SJ. “I am delighted that Boston College has been chosen to be part of the Fung Scholars Program.” Established to commemorate the centenary of the Fung Group in 2006 by the Victor and William Fung Foundation, the Fung Scholars Program has provided financial support for more than 4,500 aspiring leaders from some 30 universities. For more information on the Fung Scholars Program at BC, contact the Office of International Programs at oip@bc.edu. –University Communications
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Casey Touts Service Continued from page 1 overcome partisanship and address urgent matters concerning immigration, the environment, education, and housing.” Jesuit education has sought to prepare students to be “a leaven for good in society,” he said, and encouraged this year’s graduates to use their education and gifts in the service of society, “give to others from the abundance that you have received, and put into practice the principles, values, and beliefs of Jesuit education that continue to shape Boston College and that challenge its graduates.” Casey, noting his many familial connections to BC – including current undergraduates – cited examples of the University’s devotion to service: More than half the Class of 2017 was involved in service activities, while BC undergraduates give some 440,000 hours of community service during the academic year. He then offered a personal reminiscence to illustrate a compelling portrait of service. While working for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in a Philadelphia school, he had met a young girl with a radiant smile and great promise. Many years later, during his senatorial campaign, Casey
encountered her again: She was now 33, and had endured “difficult days,” but nonetheless worked a second job as a foster parent for severely abused children. “I asked her how she did it, working with children who were so hurt, so broken,” he said, “and she told me, ‘Our burdens can become our blessings.’ She taught me so much about what it truly means to serve.” Her example, he said, should be in the hearts and minds of the gathered BC community – itself an impressive illustration of how Catholic, Jesuit beliefs find expression through service. “Your conscience will move you to count your blessings, and to use your blessings to lift many burdens.” Monday’s Commencement also included presentation of the Edward H. Finnegan, SJ, Award to Lauren Wedell as the graduating senior exemplifying Boston College’s motto “Ever to Excel” [see story on page 5], and the benediction by Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap. Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
Texts of the 2017 honorary degree citations Amy Chin Guen MSW ’52
Amy Chin Guen celebrates the 65th anniversary of her graduation from the Boston College School of Social Work this June. The first American-born daughter of a merchant family that held education in high regard, she remains, at 93, a tireless advocate in Boston’s Chinatown community, her place of birth. This devoted wife, mother, and pioneering social worker was an early proponent of hospice care in Massachusetts, trained professionals as the director of social case work at Youville Hospital, and served on the state’s inaugural social work licensing board. She has fought neighborhood displacement by urban renewal and facilitated the establishment of local social service agencies to assist underserved immigrants. Her efforts continue to benefit many through the South Cove Manor Nursing Facilities Foundation, which operates the region’s premier elder and rehabilitation facility serving the Asian community, and the South Cove Community Health Center, which offers culturally nuanced healthcare. A petite powerhouse known as “Auntie Amy” for her service to Chinatown, she has received lifetime achievement awards from the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter and her undergraduate alma mater, Regis College. When the Chinese Historical Society of New England honored her with its Sojourner Award in 2016, she pledged to continue to work as long as her health permits, inspiring all present. For her zeal, tenacity, and community impact, Boston College bestows on Amy Chin Guen the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa.
Christopher E. O’Donnell ’92
The Class of 2017 starts the “Final Flight” processional.
Fr. Leahy with Amy Chin Guen.
Rain gear was de rigueur at Commencement.
Photos by Lee Pellegrini and Gary Wayne Gilbert
Fame came early to Chris O’Donnell, who made his motion picture debut while still a student in the Carroll School of Management. His performance in the 1990 film “Men Don’t Leave” launched an acting career that spans a quartercentury, including an award-winning part in “Scent of a Woman,” starring on Broadway in Arthur Miller’s “The Man Who Had All the Luck,” and, for the past eight seasons, portraying enigmatic lead character G. Callen in the hit CBS series “NCIS: Los Angeles.” His talent earned him a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame; his values keep him grounded. The youngest of seven, he is widely known as a family man devoted to Caroline, his wife of 20 years, and their five children. A graduate of two Jesuit schools — Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, and Boston College — he uses his celebrity status to serve people in need. An advocate for veterans and the homeless, he received the prestigious Caritas Award from California’s Saint John’s Health Center in Los Angeles. He has endowed a scholarship fund at Boston College, and remains close to his alma mater, most recently visiting campus to speak with students about the importance of family and faith. Adhering to his beliefs, unblinded by the spotlight of Hollywood, Chris O’Donnell leads by example. In recognition of his integrity and achievements, Boston College awards Chris O’Donnell the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
Robert P. Casey Jr.
Robert P. Casey Jr., the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, comes
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, with 2017 honorary degree recipients (clockwise from back right) Christopher O’Donnell, Amy Chin Guen, Robert Casey Jr., Tiffany Cooper Gueye and Fr. Leo Shea, MM. (Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert) from a family long involved in politics and public service. His father was governor of the state for eight years, and Senator Casey himself served as auditor general and treasurer of Pennsylvania before his election to the US Senate in 2006. He is known among his constituents and Congressional peers as an effective advocate for children and families and is recognized as one of America’s most prominent Catholic politicians. He introduced legislation in support of the Emergency Medical Services for Children program, and guided into law a bill to make early learning part of a continuum of education, working in concert with the K-12 system. In the Senate, he was the primary sponsor of the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, which enables families to save through tax-advantaged savings accounts for the longterm care of loved ones with disabilities. Senator Casey has drawn on his faith during his time in public service – beliefs grounded in Jesuit and Catholic education at Scranton Preparatory School, the College of the Holy Cross, and the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America. After college, he became a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, serving as a teacher and basketball coach at the Gesu School in inner-city Philadelphia. In recognition of his principled and dedicated leadership during a complex, divisive political time, Boston College awards US Senator Robert P. Casey Jr., the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.
Tiffany Cooper Gueye ’00, PhD ’07
Tiffany Cooper Gueye is head of the Boston-based non-profit BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), which offers expanded learning programs to nearly 15,000 students in grades pre-K to 12 throughout the United States. Growing up in inner-city Boston, she attended public school in an affluent suburb through the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity program, where she learned first-hand that not all children have equal educational opportunities. Ever mindful of that experience, Gueye has dedicated her professional life to providing children with access to the lifechanging power of a high-quality education. Starting at BELL as a tutor in 1998, she became involved in efforts to establish successful after-school and summer programs with an emphasis on academic
achievement, confidence building, and community and parental engagement. Named CEO of BELL in 2008, she has led a dramatic expansion of its programs, including development of a partnership model with organizations such as the YMCA. She holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Boston College and is recognized as a national expert in out-of-school learning, measurement, and evaluation. Highly respected within her field, she is often sought after to speak at national conferences and has provided testimony before lawmakers in Congress. In recognition of her achievements and unwavering efforts to empower children through education, Boston College confers on Tiffany Cooper Gueye the degree of Doctor of Science in Education, honoris causa.
Father Leo B. Shea, MM ’60
Father Leo Shea has served the world’s poor since graduating from Boston College in 1960, first with the Boston College Lay Apostolate Program in Jamaica, and then during a half-century of global ministry with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. Educated in a Catholic grammar and high school, he earned a degree in English from Boston College in 1960, and then taught as a volunteer at St. George’s College in Jamaica. The following year, he entered the Maryknoll religious community, and was ordained five years later. He began a 16-year mission in Venezuela in 1975, living in a shack in the Caracas slum of Nueva Tacuagua, where he preached in the streets and drew strength from liberation theology. In 1983, he became Maryknoll Regional Superior for Venezuela-Colombia, and subsequently the first co-director of a commission investigating human rights abuses in Venezuela. He returned to the United States in 1991 to serve as Vicar General of Maryknoll. In that role, he helped establish the Maryknoll Lay Mission Association to support missionaries worldwide, as well as the Chinese Seminary Teachers and Formators Project, which has brought 150 Chinese priests and women religious to study in the United States. For his tireless, generous commitment to the poor and disenfranchised, education and human rights and Maryknoll missionaries across the globe, Boston College confers on Father Leo B. Shea, MM, the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
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Carroll School’s Wedell Earns Top Commencement Honor By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
Lauren Wedell, a Carroll School of Management Honors Program student who has exceled in academics, athletics, and leadership, received the Edward H. Finnegan, SJ Award at the University’s 141st Commencement Exercises on May 22. The Finnegan Award, which was presented by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, is given annually to the graduating senior who best exemplifies Boston College’s motto “Ever to Excel.” “I’m really honored,” said Wedell, who grew up in Arden Hills, Minn., and arrived at BC not knowing anyone. “I’ve met so many people at BC who are so well-rounded and have done such amazing things. To even be in that category is really an honor. “Every day I walk through the quad amazed at how lucky I am to be here,” continued Wedell. “I’m leaving with this great network and great friendships, having met so many amazing mentors and taken really eye-opening classes. I feel super fortunate to have been able to go to BC.” Wedell is a member of the Jesuit honor society, Alpha Sigma Nu, and the business honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in finance and business analytics. In his nomination letter, CSOM Senior Associate Dean Richard Keeley praised Wedell’s intellectual ability and her work as a teaching assistant in his class on business ethics: “Lauren is esteemed within the Carroll School by students, faculty, and administrators alike.”
Finnegan Award winner Lauren Wedell, center, flanked by two other Finnegan candidates, Maura Lester McSweeney (left) and Brittney Bentivegna. Morgan Healy also was nominated for the award. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Last year, Wedell was a recipient of the Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship, awarded to the CSOM Honors Program junior who has demonstrated a unique combination of academic achievement, character, leadership, and school spirit. A summer course in Venice led by Keeley, Globalization, Culture and Ethics, proved to be a formational experience for Wedell. Not only did it afford her an international experience that would not have been possible during the school year due to her athletic commitments, it deepened her interest in business ethics. “It ended up weaving throughout the rest of my four years,” she said. She won awards at three International Business Ethics Case Competitions and served as an ambassador for the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics, promoting and working events. Like many Minnesotans, Wedell donned her first pair of skates at a very young age. She went on to play hockey, following in the footsteps of
her grandfathers, her father, and her older sister. During Wedell’s first two years at BC she played on the women’s ice hockey team, earning Hockey East Academic All-Star honors in 2014 and 2015. Her junior year, she made a switch to the fledging women’s club ice hockey team and served as the club’s president and captain for 2016-17. The team – formed only three years ago – competed in nationals this year, earning them BC’s Ever to Excel Student Organization of the Year Award. “[Hockey] is fun,” said Wedell. “I love being on a team. It’s been a part of my life for such a long time.” Beyond getting her competitive juices flowing, skating and hockey are also ways Wedell gives back to the community. She has skated with participants in the Newton Special Athletes program. As a varsity player she took part in Skate with the Eagles and charitable events with the East Coast Jumbos, a team of athletes with developmental disabilities, and the sled hockey team from the Massachusetts Hospital
This year’s graduating seniors gathered on May 18 in the Plaza at O’Neill Library for the Senior Class photo – including David Kim (center), who lost a bet and had to wear a heavy coat on a day when temperatures reached into the low 90s. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
School. Wedell’s community service also took place off the ice. She participated all four years in the CSOM Honors Program’s First Serve program, volunteering at sites such as the Women’s Lunch Place and Boston Rescue Mission. Since high school, Wedell has been involved with Head Huggers, an organization that provides handmade hats to people who have lost their hair while undergoing cancer treatment. It was a service project well-suited for Wedell, who as a busy student-athlete could not commit to specific hours at a volunteer site. She would knit hats and send them off to the organization to deliver to patients. She has continued this volunteer work at BC and estimates that she has made about 75 hats to date. Wedell cites as mentors Keeley and CSOM Associate Dean Ethan Sullivan, as well as Michael Barry in the Finance Department and her Perspectives instructor Jason Donnelly. She will remain in Boston, work-
ing in the technology division of William Blair, an investment banking and wealth management firm. Asked about the impact of BC experience, Wedell said, “It’s made me more reflective. The motto ‘being men and women for others’ is something I’m going to try to cultivate when I’m working and busy. I’ll try to find time to volunteer or coach a team.” She also noted, “It’s the relationships I’ve made with my roommates and close friends in the honors program. I can already tell they’re going to last — hopefully forever.” Wedell cited the importance of something she called “the BC connection.” “Whenever any alumni meet, there is always something to talk about. Everyone always has such great memories. I live in the Mods and when people come through, they always want to talk about the mod they lived in,” she laughed. Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu
Also nominated for the Finnegan Award were: Maura Lester McSweeney (Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences): Lester, a philosophy major and international studies minor from Nicaragua, served as the director of external affairs for the student group OLAA (Organization of Latin American Affairs). As a student ambassador for Catholic Relief Services, she led efforts to raise $20,000 for earthquake relief and trained more than 100 students in legislative advocacy. Lester helped prepare Connell School of Nursing students for clinical work in Central America by teaching Spanish medical vocabulary and explaining the healthcare system in Nicaragua. She worked to obtain official University recognition for the Other Americas organization, a campus forum for all things Latin American. She served as the club’s president, managed the website, and published its magazine and newsletter. She was honored with the 2016 Archbishop Oscar Romero Scholarship and the 2016 Paul Chebator and Mer Zovko Ever to Excel Award. Morgan Healy (Lynch School of Education): A secondary education and history major from Los Altos Hills, Calif., Healy has been a mentor in the College Bound program, working with high school students to develop their study and learning habits, improve their English proficiency, and advise on college applications. She went on to serve on the College Bound Mentors executive board and as the group’s undergraduate president. She taught English to adults at the Presentation School Foundation Community Center in Brighton; through BC Reads, Lester presented lessons to fifth-graders at St. Columbkille Partnership School and helped lead a book drive for the school. She was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society, and was a member of the Lynch School’s Honors Program. A Fulbright winner, Healy will spend 2017-18 in Brazil, teaching English. She will pursue graduate studies at Harvard University upon her return. Brittney Bentivegna (Connell School of Nursing): Bentivegna, of Southport, Conn., served as co-president of the Boston College Student Nurses Association. In addition to her clinical rotations at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center, VA Medical Center, and McLean Hospital, she conducted clinical work in the Dominican Republic. She was inducted into the BC chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the international honor society for nursing, and was one of only four nursing students nationwide chosen for Mass General Hospital’s Carol A. Ghiloni Oncology Student Nurse Fellowship, a 10-week preceptor program to develop nursing skills. She also served as the women’s secretary for the University Chorale, helping to organize seasonal concerts and the annual spring break tour in Europe. Bentivegna, who plans on a career as an oncology nurse, will take part in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center residency program this summer. –University Communications
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Interviews by Sean Smith and Rosanne Pellegrini Paulette Durrett
Assistant Dean for Students with Disabilities Years at BC: 25
“A few things stand out for me in particular when I think about my time at BC. The changing technology and, of course, the growing footprint of BC with so many new buildings. The cultural immersion trips to Jamaica and Nicaragua, sponsored by Mission and Ministry, were great opportunities to meet and get to know faculty and learn about their concerns. Service trips to places like Cape Verde, New Mexico and local soup kitchens showed BC students finding unique ways to give back and not get stuck in the BC bubble.” Michael Keith
Associate Professor of the Practice, Communication Years at BC: 24
“There are so many changes I’ve seen at BC during my years here. Its rising status in the national and internal academic communi-
ties. The significant enhancement of its physical facilities. A broadening in the variety of its academic programs. A more global faculty. BC has been an extraordinary place to invest half of my professional life. The payback has been enormous. I consider myself lucky to have been a member of the University’s distinguished faculty.” Mark O’Connor
Part-time faculty member, former Honors Program director, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Years at BC: 42
“The best thing about working at BC was how often in small circumstances – and large ones, too – folks across our campus, in all sorts of roles, cared enough about our community to care for me even when they didn’t know me, and care about me when they did. The best Photos by Gary Wayne Gilbert
thing about being based in the A&S Honors Program was the freedom to work collaboratively with my Real Smart colleagues on curriculum. The best thing of all has been the privilege of teaching BC undergraduates. They were invariably honors students not just in academic ability but in the ways that matter more, in character and in aspiration. So over the years I learned at least as much I taught.” David Early
Director of Event Operations Years at BC: 42
“The best thing about working at BC has been the people. I have met so many wonderful and dedicated folks all across the University in every department, from Housekeeping to the President’s Office and in between. Not being from the academic side of the house, I made a particular effort to meet those folks and have made some life-long friends.”
Boston College will honor retiring administrators, faculty and staff at the President’s Recognition Dinner this coming Tuesday. The Office of Governmental and Community Affairs also will present its annual Community Service Award at the event. Employees who have retired during the 2016-17 academic year are: Frank Albano, Dan Bunch, James Cadin, Max Caze, Suzanne Cole, Arnie Corazzini, Anne Crowley, John Derick, Paulette Durett, David Early, Mark Foley, Mark Gelfand, Jane Gionfriddo, Frederick Glynn, Roberto Goizueta, Thomas Groden, Thomas Hachey, David Horn, William Howland, Amanda James, Michael Keith, Thomas King, Barbara Krakowsky, Deborah Levenson-Estrada, Louise Lonabocker, Vincent Lynch, Emma Maffei, Kevin Mahoney, John Martins, Marilyn Matelski, Esther Messing, Mary Mila, Dard Miller, Diana Nagy and Mark O’Connor. Also, John Paris, SJ, Clemenceau Pierre, Robert Pion, Stella Primpas, David Rasmussen, Linda Raute, Mary Roberts, James Rogers, Edward Sciore, Cynthia Simmons, Michael Spatola, Michael Spiegel, Andrew Tavarelli, William Toof, Judith Tracy, Kevin Tringale, James Wallace, Scott Washburn, Joyce Wentland, Alan Wolfe, Robin Wood and University President William P. Leahy, SJ, congratulates Marco Meza of Dining Marguerite Zolad. Gary Wayne Gilbert
Retirees reflect on their time at Boston College
University to Honor Retiring Employees, Community Service Award Winner on May 30
Services for 25 years of service to BC.
On May 4, the University recognized the following employees for 25 years of service: Paulette Durrett, Stephen Erickson, Ann Fattori, Mary Howard, Thomas Peters, Richard Pijar, Thomas Runyon, Elizabeth Sparks, Thomas Wahhab, Kathleen Winarski, Frances Loftus, Marco Meza, William Armstrong, Amy Boesky, Chi-Keung Cheung, Thomas Chiles, Gary Gurtler, SJ, John Makransky, David McMenamin, Jeremiah McGrann, Irene Mizrahi, Christine O’Brien, Fabio Schiantarelli, Judith Shindul-Rothschild and Laurence Tobin. Also, Robin Warsh, Anabela Aleman, Angel Blas, James Casey, James Crowley, Osvald Figueiredo, Danielle Finklea, Michael Kane, Blanca Mejia, Richard Sanger, Paul Smith and Michelle White.
University Hails Contributions of Flatley Professor Roberto Goizueta Colleagues from Boston College and beyond recently gathered for a symposium celebrating the theological contributions of Margaret O’Brien Flatley Professor of Catholic Theology Roberto S. Goizueta, one of the country’s leading theologians, who is retiring after nearly 20 years of teaching at Boston College. Besides extending nascent lines of theological inquiry, Goizueta has shaped an entire field of academic study and influenced the understanding of what it means to be Church, according to organizers of the April 28-29 symposium “Beauty and Knowledge, Love and Justice: A Symposium Celebrating the Theological Contribution of Roberto S. Goizueta.” Theology Professor M. Shawn Copeland, one of the symposium organizers, presented the opening lecture. Other BC participants included: School of Theology and Ministry faculty Associate Professor Nancy Pineda-Madrid (co-organizer) and Assistant Professor O. Ernesto Valiente, and Theology Department faculty members Profes-
Retiring Margaret O’Brien Flatley Professor of Catholic Theology Roberto S. Goizueta, right, speaks with well-wishers at last month’s symposium held in his honor. (Photo by Frank Curran)
sor Kristin Heyer, Professor Stephen Pope, Associate Professor Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, and Associate Professor Brian Robinette. Goizueta, who came to BC in 1999, previously taught at Loyola University Chicago, Emory University and Loyola University in New Orleans. He has served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theo-
logians of the United States. The author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters, Goizueta has published such books as Christ Our Companion: Toward a Theological Aesthetics of Liberation and Caminemos Con Jesus: Toward a Hispanic/Latino Theology of Accompaniment. His honors include the Virgilio Elizondo Award from ACHTUS and the 2012 Yves Congar Award for Theological Excel-
lence. Goizueta expressed his gratitude to the organizers. “I am humbled by their incredible generosity and the generosity of the BC community. I’ve been blessed to be a part of this academic community, whose support over the years has exceeded anything I could have hoped for. I continue to be inspired by my students and my colleagues.” Other symposium participants included: Tony Alonso (Emory University); Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado (University of Miami); Mark Potter (Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart); Robert Rivera (St. John’s University, New York); Christopher Tirres (DePaul University); Benjamin Valentin (Yale University Divinity School); Orlando Espín (University of San Diego); Timothy Matovina (University of Notre Dame) Asked about his professional legacy, Goizueta said, “I have tried only to accompany the Latino/a Catholic community and to discern within the lived faith of our community the
profound spiritual and theological wisdom that is too often marginalized in our academy, Church, and society.” He added, “The central question confronting Christian theology today is the same as it has always been: How does one proclaim credibly, in one’s contemporary context, that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life? How does one do that today in a religiously and culturally pluralistic world? How does one do that in a world where the vast majority of Christians – and all people – are poor, dispossessed, marginalized and excluded? How does one do that in what has been called a ‘posttruth’ society, where the very search for truth itself has been abandoned?” Sponsors for the symposium were the Office of the Provost; Office of the Morrissey College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean; Church in the 21st Century Center; Institute for the Liberal Arts; School of Theology and Ministry, and Department of Theology. –Kathleen Sullivan
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Weitzel-O'Neill Wins NCEA Merit Award
Boston College Executive Director of Public Safety and Police Chief John King, fourth from left, at a ceremony marking BC Police Department’s reaccreditation. (L-R) Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission Vice President Russ Stevens; BCPD Lt. and Accreditation Manager Laurene Spiess; BCPD Officer and Accreditation Assessor Robert Wayne; MPAC President Matt Clancy; BC Deputy Chief Tom Atkinson; BC Detective Lt. David Flaherty; BC Operations Lt. Jeff Postell and BC Vice President of Finance and Treasurer John Burke.
BC Police Earns Reaccreditation The Boston College Police Department has been officially reaccredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. Last October, the BCPD was evaluated by a team of MPAC-appointed assessors and was found to be in compliance with all standards for accreditation. The MPAC officially confirmed the department’s reaccreditation earlier this month. “The Boston College Police Department continues to meet the professional standards identified in the accreditation process,” said BC Executive Director of Public Safety and Police Chief John King, “as is evident in the manner by which our officers serve the BC community.” A major benefit of accreditation is that it provides a norm for an agency to judge its performance and a basis to correct deficiencies before they become public problems, according to the MPAC. Accreditation also promotes account-
ability among agency personnel and the application of policies. In a press release provided by BCPD, MPAC Executive Director Donna Taylor Mooers said “achieving accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission is a very significant accomplishment and a recognition highly regarded by the law enforcement community. Going through the process initially requires intense self-scrutiny, and ultimately provides a quality assurance review of the agency.” According to Mooers, accreditation serves to reassure the public that BCPD is trained, prepared, and ready to handle routine calls for service, including large-scale emergencies. “Agency preparedness begins with having a current written directive system that incorporates best practices into agency policies and operational plans.” –Siobhan Sullivan
The National Catholic Educational Association has awarded Patricia Weitzel-O’Neill, executive director of the Barbara and Patrick Roche Center for Catholic Education at Boston College, the 2017 C. Albert Koob Merit Award for her contributions to Catholic education. The award annually recognizes an individual or organization for work that has national significance in areas of education including teaching, administration, parish religious education, research, publication or educational leadership. Weitzel-O’Neill has directed the Roche Center in the Lynch School of Education since 2010. Prior to that, she served as superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. “I am honored to be recognized for my contributions to the collaborative work of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Barbara and Patrick Roche Center for Catholic Education,” said Weitzel-O’Neill. “I look forward to continuing our work at the center by providing exceptional programming, research and advocacy on behalf of all Catholic schools.” At the Roche Center, WeitzelO’Neill has worked to improve Catholic education through research, professional development, and advocacy both locally and nationally. During her tenure, the center launched the Two-Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools (TWIN-CS), a national initiative that supports the implementation and assessment of dual-language immersion models transforming Catholic school classrooms from monolingual to fully bilingual.
Patricia Weitzel-O’Neill, executive director of the Barbara and Patrick Roche Center for Catholic Education.
Concurrently, the Roche Center launched the Emmaus Series, a formative 20-month development program that strengthens the spiritual leadership and entrepreneurial skills of school leaders. Now in its fifth year, the program is recognized as a national model. Weitzel-O’Neill and School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Hosffman Ospino authored the 2016 report Catholic Schools in an Increasingly Hispanic Church, based on the first National Survey of Catholic Schools Serving Hispanic Families. Additionally, she and Loyola University Chicago Professor Lorraine Ozar edited the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (2012). Last fall, Weitzel-O’Neill and Ospino hosted the first-ever National Summit on Catholic Schools and Hispanic Families,
Oluyede Caps BC Years with Dr. Donald Brown Award Sammie-Marie Oluyede, who received her bachelor’s degree on Monday, was chosen as the winner of the 2017 Dr. Donald Brown Award. The award recognizes a senior who has made extraordinary contributions to Boston College, and particularly to the AHANA community. “BC has taught me how to be a ‘woman for others’ in my own way,” said Oluyede, who will be participating in the NBC page program in New York City. “While I have always known that helping others is a priority in my life, during my time at BC I have learned that I can make this happen outside of traditional methods. There is not just one way that I can be of help to others.” A native of Albany, NY, Oluyede majored in communication with a minor in African and African Diaspora Studies. Her four years at BC
included a strong commitment to the Black Student Forum – where she served as events planner and, this past year, as senior advisor/ CEO – and African Student Organization, where she held the title of chief operating officer and later vice president. She also was a four-year member of the Haitian Association, the Caribbean Culture Club and BC’s allfemale step team FISTS (Females Incorporating Sisterhood Through Step), the past two years as president. Oluyede took on a mentorship role through biweekly meetings with Sisters Let’s Talk, a support group at BC that facilitates connections between female students of color and female faculty/administrators of color. As a senior, she served on the Black History Month Committee and participated in the Mississippi Delta Volunteer Corps service trip.
Oluyede said her many memorable moments at BC included her performance with FISTS at the annual “Showdown” campus dance event in Conte Forum. “I remember seeing nothing but bright lights and then hearing a few of my friends yell my name, and then everything went blank until I got off stage. The adrenaline rush that comes from this spectacular show is like nothing else. Seeing all of your hard work come to life on stage in front of more than 4,000 people is one of the most exhilarating and rewarding feelings ever.” Getting together with her fellow student organization members for non-business events was another enjoyable facet of BC life, she said, recounting a cooking party she hosted for the African Student Organization executive board. “We cooked some food, had a karaoke competition and celebrated all of our hard
inviting 200 recognized thought leaders to engage in two days of focused conversations examining the critical challenges. As an advocate, she serves on multiple boards, including the governing board for the Journal of Catholic Education, and is frequently invited to present at national and local conferences. –University Communications
JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr: Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications, Residential Life Director of Development, Law School Director, Office of Student Involvement, Student Affairs/Residential Life Coordinator, Club Sports and Recreational Camp, Athletics Intern, Business Administration or Digital Media, Athletics Manager, Data Center Operations, Information Technology Senior Writer, University Advancement Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Academic Affairs/Provost Director, ACC Network Production, Athletics
Sammie-Marie Oluyede, right, with Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center Director Ines Maturana Sendoya.
work from the past semester and in preparing for the fashion show. “Although we were always meeting with each other to plan our next events, the time when I got to hang out with the members of my various organizations outside of meetings was always the best.” –University Communications
Senior/Web Developer, University Advancement Associate Director of Digital Marketing, University Advancement Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Services, Academic Affairs/Provost Events Assistant, Alumni Affinity Programs, Advancement
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BC Graduates and Students Earn Fulbrights, Other Honors Continued from page 1 •“The Fulbright offers the perfect opportunity to combine my interests in education research and teaching while also giving me time to further develop my own language abilities. I’ve always found teaching English to be a personal experience. Choosing to learn someone else’s language can be a vulnerable process; there are times when you don’t know how to express yourself or even how to explain what you would like to know. What keeps both the teachers and the students going is the conviction that someone else has something worth hearing, something we want to help them share with us. “One of the best things about language learning is the trust that it creates between students and teachers and the opportunity it provides to share thoughts and ideas with someone we previously couldn’t talk to. This is why the State Department sees teaching English as such a great tool for developing our relationships with countries across the world.”
Natasha Bednarz HOMETOWN: Yardley, Pa. DESTINATION: Armenia PROJECT: As a geophysical researcher at Armenia’s National Institute of Geological Sciences, she will work on the Transect Project, the most comprehensive exploration undertaken to date of the Caucasus’ geological setting. She will help analyze data from more than 100 new seismic monitoring stations to be installed across the region. Her work there is in part a continuation of her senior thesis research, in which she investigated earthquakes in the Caucasus region using a method called Cellular Seismology. FUTURE PLANS: Publish her research and pursue a graduate degree in geophysics. •“This research is the opportunity to dedicate my passion for geophysics to a project that tangibly serves the people of Armenia. My work will contribute to improved seismic hazard assessments, which save lives and protect infrastructure by demarcating zones of seismic danger. “My project ties together experiences from my four years at BC. In addition to my academic coursework in geology and physics, I have spent my past three summers interning with diverse earth science institutions, in New Mexico, Guatemala City, and Yerevan, experiencing firsthand the intimate intersection of human communities and their environmental surroundings.” Christopher Fell HOMETOWN: Yonkers, NY DESTINATION: Germany PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; hopes to volunteer to teach English or German language instruction to Syrian refugees, and aspires to start a program exploring cultural cuisines with community members, by sharing recipes and cooking meals together. •“I’m really excited to be living in Germany for a year. After being there for a
semester abroad, I feel like I’ll be able to make the most of my experience. I want to really integrate myself in the culture and become fluent. I’m also excited to try my hand at teaching and see if that’s something I want to do as a career. If not, hopefully I find some new ideas.”
Alexis Fessatidis ’16 HOMETOWN: Port Washington, NY DESTINATION: Cyprus PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship FUTURE PLANS: Graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in international relations, with a focus in peace and conflict studies •“As a biracial, first-generation American who strongly believes in the power of cultural interaction, I am immensely excited to serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Cyprus. My experiences at BC, as an international studies major and a tutor through the 4Boston volunteering program, have taught me the value of diversity, dialogue, and education, especially in addressing global challenges. Having worked as an intern at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, I am especially humbled by the opportunity to teach in a country working towards peace and reconciliation and hope to also volunteer with a local NGO focused on such efforts.” Morgan Healy HOMETOWN: Los Altos Hills, Calif. DESTINATION: Brazil PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship FUTURE PLANS: Attend Harvard University to pursue a master’s of education in language and literacy. •“I applied for the ETA in Brazil because I am a firm believer in the transformative power of education, specifically linguistic education. Over the past four years I have had the opportunity to teach and conduct research in Brazil, and I am incredibly grateful and excited to be able to return once more to a country that I have come to adore. I hope to not only further my teaching abilities, but also to fully master the language there so that I can return to the US better equipped to serve the Lusophone community in Boston and prepare myself to work in international educational NGOs later on in life. The unequivocal support and guidance of my professors and advisors at BC has been invaluable to me. I hope this experience will allow friends in the US to see the great importance and value of cultural and national diversity in all its forms.” Maria Ireland ’15 HOMETOWN: Windham, Me. DESTINATION: Italy PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship FUTURE PLANS: Pursue a doctorate and ultimately teach at the college level.
•“My coursework and co-curricular involvements at BC instilled in me two driving passions – one for education, and the other for intercultural exchange. Becoming an ETA in Italy is an extraordinary chance to join my love of Italian language and culture, academic interests in changing demographics and international studies, and professional dream of being an educator. I look forward to all the blessings and challenges that this next year will bring.”
Mabel Lee ’15 HOMETOWN: Boston DESTINATION: Taiwan PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; plans to create a club that focuses on wellness of the body through meditation, physical education, and reflection. FUTURE PLANS: Hopes to work at a startup and utilize her engagement with the Taiwanese community to bring back shared understandings
sistantship; hopes to introduce and encourage informal sports activities to “nurture an active and healthy lifestyle.” FUTURE PLANS: Join Teach for America; attend graduate school with the hope of consulting in the education sector. •“Winning the Fulbright was a special moment for me because I am one step closer to helping change the world to a place where every single child gets a chance at a quality education. As a finance major, many may see this move as unorthodox, but there is no major for following your heart. More importantly, it was a special moment to share the news with friends and family; they are one the ones who crafted my time here at BC to be as amazing as it was. Without their support and love, I would not be in this position.”
Ava Tessitore HOMETOWN: New York City DESTINATION: Austria PROJECT: Study Minnelieder, a
Members of the Class of 2017 who were awarded major fellowships and other honors include (far left) Jesse Mu, who won a Winston Churchill Scholarship, and Fulbright winners (L-R) Liam Maguire, Jamshaid Sulahry, Mackenzie Arnold, Christopher Fell (seated), Caz Novak, Hagop Toghramadjian and Natasha Bednarz. (Maguire declined his Fulbright to join the Peace Corps.)
in technological progress; eventually plans to attend business school. •“I view the Fulbright as an opportunity to represent BC and the US in an international arena. The opportunity to complete an English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan is the perfect culmination of my passion and interest in Taiwanese culture, my academic background in International Studies, and my experience in the technology industry since graduating. I hope to use the Fulbright to continue to embrace the Taiwanese culture while promoting economic social justice through the use of technology.”
Caz Novak HOMETOWN: St. Cloud, Minn. DESTINATION: Germany PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; wants to impart to his host community the history and societal impact of baseball in the US, and create his own pickup league. FUTURE PLANS: Attend graduate school. Jamshaid Sulahry HOMETOWN: Lewisville, NC DESTINATION: Indonesia PROJECT: English Teaching As-
form of courtly love poetry, at the University of Salzburg, and complete own translation into English with accompanying analysis. FUTURE PLANS: Continue education in German with focus on medieval languages and historical linguistics, with eventual goal of teaching at the university level.
Hagop Toghramadjian HOMETOWN: Blaine, Minn. DESTINATION: Armenia PROJECT: Researching social, economic and cultural issues facing Syrian-Armenian refugees. FUTURE PLANS: Graduate study in government or international relations; work for USAID, State Department or related agency to support US foreign policy that is “attentive to ethnic and religious minority groups in the Middle East and beyond.” •“To me, the Fulbright represents an opportunity to help address a problem affecting a country I care deeply about. How can the Republic of Armenia better accommodate the tens of thousands Syrian-Armenian refugees currently living there, and how can refugees help Armenia build a brighter future? Syrian Armenians have the
potential to spark great cultural and economic development in their ancestral homeland. They possess an imaginative, enterprising spirit that enables them to envision new opportunities for the country, and their deep linguistic and religious ties to Armenia have encouraged them to hit the ground running. “Yet Syrian-Armenians still face significant barriers to integration. As a result, even as the refugees work to put down roots, thousands are quietly weighing the possibility of immigrating to the West. It remains unclear whether Syrian Armenians are temporary sojourners, or whether they are in Armenia to stay. I hope to help the Armenian government, NGOs, and the international community better understand how they can help ease the refugees’ transition –and I hope to remind them why it’s so important to try.”
Other graduate and undergraduate winners: •Jennifer Shin ’13 has been selected for a Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship that will support her studies of security issues in the Korean peninsula and international relations in East Asia. The Pickering Fellowship Program provides undergraduate and graduate students with financial support, mentoring and professional development to prepare them for a career in the Department of State Foreign Service. Shin will attend the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies this fall. Read more at bit.ly/shin-pickering •Jesse Mu ’17 won a Winston Churchill Scholarship for graduate study in the United Kingdom at the University of Cambridge. [Read the Chronicle story at http://bit.ly/muchurchill] •Bemnet Zewdie ’19 will go to Ghana next spring via a Fund for Education Abroad Scholarship, which seeks to foster increased access to international scholarship by supporting students from a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. •Sabrina Black ’19 has received a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Undergraduate Scholarship and will study at the Catholic University of Eichstätt in Germany during 2017-18. •Two undergraduates won Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships – which enable students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, gaining skills critical to American national security and economic competitiveness – for this summer: Layla Aboukhater ’18 (France) and Tenzin Pelzom ’20 (Ecuador). •US Department of State Critical Language Scholarships have been awarded to Daniela Benitez ’19 and Enise Koc ’18 for study in, respectively, Oman and Russia. The CLS program is part of a government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages to contribute to American economic competitiveness and national security. •Taylor Green JD’18 has received a David L. Boren National Security Education Program Award – designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of US citizens with foreign language and international skills – that will fund a fellowship to Japan.