ODYSSEY
The Magazine of Boston University Academy
As we settle into the rhythms of the school year, I fnd myself feeling profoundly grateful. It is a rare gif to devote your professional life to a pursuit you love and believe in. It is rarer still to do that in a community as remarkable as BUA. I have the privilege of working alongside some of the most hardworking, inspiring, and creative colleagues I can imagine. I am moved by the extraordinary trust our parents and guardians place in us. I am buoyed by the alumni and parents of alumni who continue to fnd ways to improve the lives of today’s students. And, most of all, I feel lucky to spend my days with these exceptional students. Simply by the way they carry themselves, these students show that – even in a world that works so hard to tell them otherwise – kindness and curiosity can be the norm. I am so grateful to be part of their lives.
BUA is thriving in its 32nd year. Applications are at an all-time high, and this is quickly becoming the school of choice for exceptionally kind and curious students from all parts of the Boston area. With the generous philanthropic support of the BUA community, we have again been able to accept and fully fund every qualifed student regardless of their family’s fnancial situation – a testament to our values and a source of our strength. Our relationships with our partners at BU are strong; they recognize BUA as a gem at the University and a source of pride. Most importantly, this remains a place where extraordinary students “fnd their people” – both world-class mentors and lifelong friends.
Tis is not – nor will it ever be – a school for everybody. But for young people who are excited to engage with ideas, who are eager for more challenge, and who feel most at home in a community defned by kindness, there is nothing like BUA. Tank you for your help making this experience a reality for them.
Chris Kolovos, Head of School
Boston University President Dr. Melissa Gilliam connected with students and Head of School Chris Kolovos during a visit to Boston University Academy on Monday, September 9.
CONTRIBUTORS
Margo Cox
Nastaran Hakimi
Chris Kolovos
Elisha Meyer
PHOTOGRAPHY
Dave Green
Dannie Lane
Tara Teslow
MAGAZINE DESIGN
Dannie Lane
Tara Teslow
COVER PHOTO
Dave Green
Mural by Sitarah Lakhani '22
ALUMNI NEWS
Send notes and correspondence to
Dave Stone at stoneyd@bu.edu
FEATURES
"On Civil Discourse": Head of School Opening Address
Revised Mission and Core Values
New Faculty & Staf
Te World is Our Oyster: Expanding Global Travel
Senior Tesis Symposium
Commencement 2024
Alum Ibukun Owolabi '24 Shares His Educational Journey Around Campus
Ofce Artifacts with Dr. Rosemary White
Dr. Brett Abigaña: Multifaceted Man of Music IMPACT REPORT
Distinguished Alumni Award: Lydia Hill '11
“On Civil Discourse”
Head of School Chris Kolovos delivered his Opening of Term Address on September 3, 2024
Good morning. On behalf of the faculty and staf, welcome to the 32nd year of Boston University Academy.
A special welcome to our new students. You are impressive individuals, but what binds you together and connects you to all of us is your kindness and your curiosity. You will make us better, and we are so glad you're here. To the Class of 2025, welcome back. We had some fun together at the senior retreat. You will set the tone for all of us this year, and we are excited about your leadership. Speaking of seniors, in a few moments I will have the pleasure of introducing Alex Furman, your Student Council president. Before that, though, I will ofer some thoughts as I do at the start of each term. My comments today are on the topic of civil discourse.
Two Justices
One of my favorite courses in law school was constitutional law. In preparation for each class, we would read a Supreme Court opinion. Like in the movies, the professor would then stand in front of the room and call on students, asking a series of hard questions about the case. Cases involved redistricting, free speech, abortion, afrmative action, war powers, and so on. Supreme Court opinions are written by justices – majority opinions, concurrences, and dissents if they disagree with the majority. As you read opinions, you get to know these justices – their voice, their ways of thinking about the law, and even their personalities. I want to tell you this morning about two of those justices.
One is Justice Antonin Scalia. Nominated by President Reagan, he was the frst Italian American justice and a devout Catholic. Justice Scalia was a textualist; he insisted on a strict reading of the language of statutes. He was also an originalist, looking to divine the intent of the framers when interpreting language from the Constitution. Among other things, he opined that the Constitution did not guarantee the right to an abortion or to samesex marriage, and that afrmative action was unconstitutional. He was a leader of the conservative wing of the Court during
his tenure. He was also a gifed writer –brilliant, a sharp wit, sometimes abrasive, and ofen very funny.
Te other justice I want to tell you about is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Appointed by Bill Clinton, she was the second woman and the frst Jewish woman on the Supreme Court. In her legal practice before becoming a judge and then a justice, she was a ferce advocate for gender equality and women's rights, working for some time for the ACLU. She believed that our understanding of the Constitution could and should evolve over time. She was a champion of the liberal wing of the court. Small in stature, Justice Ginsburg became a cultural icon later in her life – referred to as the “Notorious RBG” in part because of her strong dissents.
Tese two justices ofen found themselves on opposing sides of cases. Some scholars have estimated that they opposed one another in 50 to 60% of the cases they heard – famous cases like Bush v. Gore on the 2000 presidential election, DC v. Heller about the Second Amendment, Ledbetter v. Goodyear on gender pay discrimination, and Obergefell v. Hodges about same-sex marriage.
So, it might be surprising for you to know that outside of work, Justices Ginsburg and Scalia were, in Ginsburg’s words, “best buddies.” Tey became close working together on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Teir families had dinner together every New Year's Eve and traveled the world together. Tey both loved the opera, attending performances together and even appearing together as extras in the Washington National Opera’s performance of Ariadne auf Naxos.
What's more impressive than their friendship outside the Court was the way they disagreed and worked together on the Court. Justice Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion in US v. Virginia declaring Virginia Military Institute’s single-sex admissions policy unconstitutional. Justice Scalia was the lone dissenter in that case. He sent Justice Ginsberg a draf of his dissent as quickly as possible so that she would have more time to respond to his arguments before releasing the majority opinion. Refecting back, Justice Ginsburg said, “He absolutely ruined my weekend, but my opinion is ever so much better because of his stinging dissent.” Justice Ginsburg released a statement upon Justice Scalia’s death noting that in his dissents “Justice Scalia nailed all the weak spots – the ‘applesauce’ and ‘argle bargle’ – and gave me just what I needed to strengthen the majority opinion.”
Hope
It is so easy to be discouraged these days. Te nature of civil discourse is disheartening – the polarization; the cancellation or shouting down of opposing voices; the demonization of those who disagree with us; the perceived consequences of saying the wrong thing.
I ofer the story of these two justices to show that it doesn’t have to be this way. We can have deep disagreements over important ideas in a way that's respectful and supportive. We can disagree with mutual trust, respect, and even friendship.
I believe that we have a chance to do that here. We ofen talk about BUA being counter-cultural. I am confdent that we can talk about hard things. I am confdent that we do talk about hard things. I am confdent that we can communicate across diference in a healthy, productive way.
"It is a mistake to equate being uncomfortable with being unsafe. Doing so robs us of the opportunity for dialogue and growth."
Why am I so confdent? You all have the two pieces needed for fruitful dialogue across diference: curiosity and kindness.
By curiosity, I’m implying something beyond the drive to read the next book in the series. What’s required is having the presence of mind to respond with an invitation when somebody disagrees with you: “Why? Why do you disagree with me?” We need the humility to think, “Maybe there's something that I don't understand that she does.” We need the patience to really listen and the courage to change your mind.
Te other piece you need is kindness –not just the kindness of holding a door or saying hello, but the kindness to presume positive intent, to assume that somebody is well-meaning, to dispute the idea and not attack the person. And we need the kindness to forgive when they make a mistake.
Some Questions
I am confdent that you all have the disposition to do this, but there remain real barriers. While these barriers are not unique to us, they are here. I do not have solutions to ofer. Instead, I want to pose these barriers to you as questions in hopes that we can overcome them together.
One, how do we overcome the fear of speaking up that settled in last year and that led to so much silence? Tat silence was ofen well-meaning, maybe always well-meaning. Tat silence stemmed from a fear of hurting a friend, of making a mistake, of saying the wrong thing and incurring the consequences – real or imagined. How do we break through that culture and make it okay to disagree with one another and even make a mistake?
Two, how do we rebut the false idea that being confronted by an argument you disagree with somehow makes you emotionally unsafe? We take your physical safety very seriously. Te same is true for your psychological health. We have a responsibility as adults to help protect you from harm, from abuse, from harassment, and from bullying. But when faced with ideas we disagree with, too ofen the response
in our society is, “I don't feel safe and I am going to exit this conversation.” In so doing you become a victim and shut down. Tat is a mistake. It is a mistake to equate being uncomfortable with being unsafe. Doing so robs us of the opportunity for dialogue and growth.
Tree, how do we keep our common humanity in mind in the face of disagreement? In the last few decades, our society has engaged in so much exploration of our diferences. Tat’s a good thing. We do that in our ninth-grade seminar, where we unpack identity and the ways it impacts our experience. Our society is so much better for our understanding of systemic and structural biases and for making us more sensitive to how we are diferent.
And, at the same time, we cannot lose sight of what binds us together.
Tis summer, I spent far too much time in the hospital. A member of my family is undergoing cancer treatment, and I have found myself in hospital waiting rooms, lobbies, elevators, cafeterias, and hallways with people of all backgrounds. You notice very quickly – and I know some of you have been there, too – that people are really kind to one another when they are in that setting: holding doors, smiling, striking up conversations. Tere is an understanding that we are all struggling in that moment, that we are all human beings worried about our loved ones. In those waiting rooms and elevators, it is easy to see how we are the same.
But how do we stay open to our common humanity when we are not facing some common crisis? How do we keep in touch with our common humanity when we are at odds over something really important?
I do not pretend to have answers to these questions. I do know that our best chance of answering them is by putting our collective brains and our collective hearts together. As daunting as it is, and as impossible as it might seem outside these walls, I believe that we can do it here.
Revised Mission and Core Values
At Boston University Academy, kind and curious students who love learning are challenged to read deeply and think critically, to explore adventurously at Boston University, and to engage meaningfully in our community and beyond.
BUA’s mission statement is our touchstone, capturing who we are and what we value most. Over the past year, a working group comprised of teachers, staf, and students met to review the mission, as every good school should do periodically. Tey found that the central ideas in the mission continue to serve us well. Tey suggested modest revisions to the language to better refect who we are. Afer listening sessions with alumni and students, the faculty and staf voted to adopt this revised mission and set of core values in the spring.
MEET OUR NEW FACULTY & STAFF
ERIN MORLOCK
DIGITAL ARTS TEACHING FELLOW
Erin Morlock’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts in new media and a master’s degree in photography. Ms. Morlock has taught studio art, digital media, darkroom and digital photography as well as guided students developing art portfolios for college application. She has previously taught at School of the Holy Child and Te Nightingale-Bamford School, both in New York. Outside of school, she is a proud dog mom who likes to spend loads of time outdoors or in her studio making art.
ZANE RANNEY MATHEMATICS TEACHER
Zane Ranney has taught middle and high school mathematics for over a decade using a problems-based and student-centered approach, most recently at Spence School in New York City and Keys Middle School in Palo Alto. On his teaching journey, he has also served as a grade dean, mentor, DEIB leader, and math team coach. Zane earned his BS in mathematics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and MA in mathematics education from Kings College London. Zane hosts monthly board game nights and performs in the Boston area as a jazz musician and composer.
MATTHEW SCHANTZ
ENGLISH TEACHING FELLOW
Matthew Schantz graduated with a BA in Russian literature from Columbia University and earned his PhD in Slavic languages and literatures from Harvard. His research interests include the intersection between science and literature, the environmental humanities, and utopianism. He taught literature and Russian language at Harvard and Franklin & Marshall College. Outside the classroom, Dr. Schantz enjoys running, cooking, gardening, music, and flm.
KAYLA CHAN
ATHLETIC TRAINER AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Kayla is joining BUA afer spending the last two years getting her Master of Science in athletic training from the California State University Fullerton. She earned her Bachelor of Science in education with a specialization in sports medicine from Bowling Green State University while also competing for the women’s gymnastics team. Afer completing her graduate degree, she began working as an assistant athletic trainer at Woodward West with action sports athletes. In her free time she enjoys exercise classes, doing any type of crafs, and always loves trying new restaurants or cofee shops.
KAILEY KENNEDY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE
Kailey Kennedy received her BS in marketing from Fairfeld University and her EdM in curriculum and instruction from Boston University. Afer graduating from Fairfeld University, Kailey joined Teach for America where she taught in Springfeld, MA for two years. Before coming to BUA, Kailey spent one year as a special education teacher in Dorchester. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Boston, running, cooking, and catching up on reality television.
DANNIE LANE
ADVANCEMENT & DIGITAL MARKETING ASSOCIATE
Originally from Lancaster County, PA, Dannie Lane graduated from Kenyon College in 2022 with a BA in Chinese language and literature and a minor in studio art. He ran four years on Kenyon’s cross-country and track & feld teams. Afer graduating, he worked for Kenyon’s Ofce of Communications managing the ofce’s accounting, photography collection, and working as an assistant managing editor for the KenyonAlumniMagazine. Prior to Kenyon, Dannie attended Lancaster Country Day School from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Dannie can be found running and biking, baking, and curating playlists.
HANNA WOO LEARNING SPECIALIST
Hanna Woo earned her BA in political science from Amherst College and her MS in special education from Simmons College. Before coming to BUA, Hanna worked as a learning specialist for the Landmark College Success Center and as an executive function coach for Beyond Booksmart, supporting high school and college students in goal setting, organization, task initiation, prioritization, and time management, among other executive function skills. She was also a language arts and reading teacher at Landmark High School.
The World is Our Oyster
During the 2023-2024 school year, under the guidance of Director of Experiential Learning Emily Kamen, BUA revamped its global travel program to expand opportunities for domestic and international place-based learning. Te new program emphasizes experiential education, with destinations chosen for their relevance and ties to the BUA curriculum. Faculty and staf can pitch
Take the A-Train: The Arts in
trips based on their areas of expertise. Rather than just one trip running over spring break, as in past years, students now have the option to apply to a selection of travel experiences that align with their interests and ambitions.
Over spring break 2024, 49 students and 11 chaperones traveled to Istanbul, Paris, and New York with BUA's global travel
NEW YORK CITY
programs. From sketching geometric forms in mosques and visiting the ancient city of Troy, to writing in cafes frequented by Hemingway and Sartre, to taking in an opera at Lincoln Center and a Broadway show, our intrepid student travelers engaged in authentic place-based learning – making connections with their BUA coursework, and having lots of fun along the way!
SENIOR THESIS SYMPOSIUM
The History and Ethics of CRISPR
The Ethical Dilemma of Busing in Massachusetts: Interrogating The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity
Heterosexual Relationships and Existential Freedom
German Romanticism: Music and Poetry
Green Capitalism or Eco-Socialism? Debating Economic Systems and Solutions for Climate Change in the Transportation Sector and Beyond
A Statistical Analysis of the Value of a Stolen Base
Forging a Future for Taiwan and its Independence
CRISPR Activation for SynGAP Upregulation in Haploinsuficient Mice
Neuroregenerative Applications of STEM CellLoaded Extracellular Vesicles in Biocompatible Hydrogels: Insights from Nonhuman Primate Mode
Cowboys, Reality, Reputation, and Replica
Representations of Urbanization in 19th Century American Art
My Alcestis: Translating Euripides for a Modern Audience
Analysis of Experimental Data to Identify Axionlike Dark Matter Spectral Signatures
An Analysis of Eastern and Western Foreign Investment with a Focus on the Balkans; The Stall and the Lack of Transparency of the Modern European Union
Patient Sex Drives Differential Transcriptional Regulation in Pancreatic Cancer
Investigating HIV Defective Viruses through CRISPR-Cas9 and Self-Inactivating Vectors
Summertime Impact of White Roofs on Building Energy Balance and Air Conditioning Flux
Social Media and Indigenous Language Revitalization
Molecular Gastronomy in the Everyday Kitchen
Suspiria: Female Bodies and Horror Cinema
Rethinking the American Dream
Utilizing Machine Learning Methods in Genome Scale Stoichiometric Models of P. simiae with COMETS
Validation of pPDH as a Marker for Inhibition of Serotonergic Neurons
Looking Up: Shifting Views in Observational Cosmology from the Classics to the Contemporary Period
Activation of the Complement System in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
The Effect of Fetal and Neonatal Environmental Exposures on Developmental and Degenerative Neurological Disorders
The Use of Formal Versus Informal Pronouns in Standard German
Fostering Success for Minority-Owned Businesses
I Buy, Therefore I Am: How Existentialist Philosophies Have Influenced the Modern Marketplace
Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change on Tuberculosis
Dynamics of the PVC Flooring Market: A Comprehensive Analysis of American Sectors
Asian American Silence: Appealing to Whiteness
The Effects of Sodium-glucose Co-transporter 2 Inhibitors on Rat Cardiomyocytes
Visual Representations of the Effect of Media on Teenagers’ Mental Health and Well-being
Visualizing Amyloid Fibrils: A Computational Chemistry Study
A Philosophical Approach on Realism: An International Relations Story
“Playing Out:” Harmonic Freedom in Jazz Fusion Improvisation
A Brief Introduction to System Dynamics
Understanding Economics through Music Sentiment
Before the Boston Busing Crisis of 1974: Voices from the Freedom Schools
Characterizing Recruitment of CBP Binding Domains
Using Stellar Remnants to Understand How Often Massive Stars Form Planets
Cryopreservation Practices for Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Potential Effects During CpG Stimulation
Fashion Collection: Resilient Life
Race is a Roadblock, Even in Sports Journalism
A Case Study Analysis of Restorative Justice in Schools
Developing and Applying an Inclusive Polygenic Risk Score to Alzheimer’s Related Traits
Predicting Oral Drug Elimination Half-life In Humans Using Regression Models
Drugs, Cults, and the Patriarchy: Artistic and Cultural Understanding of the Maenads in Late 5th-Century Athens Art
Modeling Rhizobacterial Colonization of Plant Roots in COMETS
Millcaster State
Improving Vaccine Uptake through Machine
Learning: Training and Validation of a Prediction Model for Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Uptake
The members of the BUA Class of 2024 are attending the following institutions:
American University
Bates College
Boston University (12)
Brandeis University
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carleton College
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Chicago
Claremont McKenna College
Colby College
Columbia University
Dartmouth College
Dickinson College
Emmanuel College
Emory University
Georgetown University
University of MassachusettsAmherst (3)
University of MassachusettsDartmouth
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
McGill University
New York University (3)
Northeastern University (4)
Northwestern University (2)
University of Rochester (2)
Rhode Island School of Design
Sarah Lawrence College (2)
Swarthmore College
University of Toronto
Trinity College Dublin
Yale University
On
Monday, May 20, 2024, Boston University Academy hosted its 30th commencement exercise at BU’s Tsai Performance Center. Ibukun Owolabi '24 and Anais Kim '24 delivered the student addresses; Olga Meserman '24 and Elizabeth Brown '24 recited the Classics orations in Latin and Greek, respectively.
Boston University President ad interim Kenneth W. Freeman delivered this year’s commencement keynote address. President Freeman drew on his 40-year career in business to impart three important life lessons to our graduates: just say “Yes!”; arrogance kills; and the power of “thank you.”
Chuck Carter:
I know a little bit of your history in terms of Beacon, but I don't know how you got here. Tell me that story.
Ibukun Owolabi:
For most of my childhood, I was told that I was smart, but I didn't place my intelligence in the right places. So I spent a lot of my life – before starting down my Beacon educational path – getting in trouble in school. I would make jokes in class, try to make everyone laugh, things like that. I would always get my work done and do well on it, but I just didn't have enough to keep me from getting distracted. So I would make jokes, and I ended up getting myself in a lot of trouble. I thought that stuf would fy at a place like Beacon. I quickly realized that it would not.
FROM BEACON TO BUA: Ibukun Owolabi '24 Shares His Educational Journey
Recent BUA graduate Ibukun Owolabi, a member of the Class of 2024, is also an alumnus of Beacon Academy, a preparatory program based in Roslindale, MA. Beacon Academy supports students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in their transition from middle school to competitive independent high schools, through their secondary school careers, to college, and beyond. BUA is fortunate to have six currently enrolled students who are also Beacon Academy alumni, and is invested in sustaining the mutually-beneficial partnership between our two schools.
Ibukun spent a year at Beacon Academy after graduating from 8th grade at Central Middle School in Quincy, MA, and before matriculating at BUA. A former Student Council vice president, star basketball player, and student-elected commencement speaker, Ibukun attributes much of his success at BUA to the foundation laid during his time at Beacon.
Last spring, Ibukun and Beacon Academy CEO and Head of School Dr. Charles Carter sat down for a wide-ranging conversation on Ibukun’s experiences and educational trajectory.
CC:
You started at BUA in the fall of 2020. What stood out for you about BUA?
IO:
are places where people know me and my voice can be heard.
CC:
What does the high school version of Ibukun look like?
IO:
Beacon did a great job in teaching time management. During my time there, I had a really long commute which I used to get my homework done. I feel lucky to have that habit carry over to high school. Being able to fgure out when I need to get things done, what assignments take longer than others. Tat was something I wouldn't have been able to learn without Beacon.
When I applied to BUA, I thought, ‘there’s the BU connection, so I don't have to think about college, I already know where I'm going.’ After going through Beacon, I realized how much I profted from having such a small community. Afer being in a place where the community is super tight knit, why would you want anything else? It is the greatest thing to have so many people who know you as a person and care about you. I didn't want to get lost in the shufe. I didn't want to be in some big place where I could hide in the background. Tat's just not why I am as a person. Both Beacon and BUA gave me a chance to be myself. Tey
teacher's ofce hours.’ And they would be like, ‘what do you mean you’re going to offce hours? You're talking to your teacher when you could be playing video games?’ It was a foreign concept to a lot of my peers at BUA, and I was just like, ‘I do this every day.’
CC:
As an alum, why do you come back to Beacon?
IO:
Alumni serve as powerful mentors to 14-year-old kids who are fresh out of middle school, going through this crazy gap year, who will be attending academically and socially challenging schools the following year. Alumni really do have such an impact. Until you are actually around the kids, you don’t realize how much of a diference alumni make. Tisconversationhasbeeneditedforlength.
Talking to my teachers is defnitely something that I kept through my time at BUA. My freshman year at BUA, I remember I would tell my friends, ‘I'm going to go to my
And it makes me sound old, but I really see myself in some of the kids; I see them making the same mistakes that I did. I’m able to help the students address their mistakes and tell them, ‘Hey, you don't have to be there.’ Te opportunity to remain involved with Beacon is better for me than it is for you guys, honestly. It just means a lot.
CC:
I'll tell you that I've heard a little bit about this story around you being the jokester, and it is not the picture I have of you at all. You show up here, you are serious in a good way, and I've heard lots of stories from your peers and from the students about the impact that you have. Tey call you Preacher, Pastor Buks, because you don't let the students slide away from things and make sure they understand the impact that they can have if they take this seriously. So we are grateful for that. I wonder for you, as you think about high school and going to college, how are you leaving that legacy at BUA?
IO:
Tere are six Beacon students who are currently at BUA, and I try to be a mentor for them and provide them with the guidance that they need. It really comes down to setting an example and trying to be the best role model that I can be. At BUA I try to take on a similar role: some of the younger students on my basketball team or in the play or the school musical look up to me, and I try to pass along that message of ‘that behavior isn't going to get you to where you want to be or that's not going to cut it.’ So I try to shine that light on as many people as I can to set that example.
CC:
What are your hopes for college?
IO:
I have a QuestBridge scholarship – a full ride scholarship – to Claremont McKenna College for the next four years. Right now my hopes are that I can receive my bachelor's from CMC in sociology or psychology and then go to graduate school, and receive my Master's of Business Administration so that I can go into marketing.
CC:
Do you have any advice for Beacon students who matriculate at BUA?
IO:
All independent schools that Beacon students go to are academically challenging, and maybe I’m a little bit biased, but at BUA, the academics are not only challenging but also enriching. So I would tell any Beacon student attending BUA or thinking about attending to not be afraid of that.
I think it's easy to think of yourself – especially as a student of color at a predominantly white institution, coming from the background that you're coming from – as not being capable of handling the academic workload at BUA. I know some Beacon students who are attending BUA now talk to me about that, and I was in the same boat. I thought, there's no way I can read the Odyssey Tere is defnitely a kind of shock and imposter syndrome, but once you realize that everyone is in the same boat, it is not because you're a student of color, it's because you are 14 years old and it is hard work. No one has the answer. You just have to get used
to it. Tat was a realization that was super helpful for me.
CC:
Te BUA model for me is the thing that stands out from other schools. Te idea that you can be on a college campus and take college classes – I've not heard of any other school that does that, and I'm fascinated about how that exposure then translates when you get into college. Tis idea that you were talking about how you can go into high school feeling like you're an imposter because you see all these smart kids. Does that go away a little bit when you've had the chance to spend time in a college classroom?
Obviously a lot of smart kids come to BUA, but no one is smart enough to just get an easy A on all the material. You really do have to work for it. I think the great thing about attending a school like Beacon is that you learn what hard work looks like and what needs to be done to get a good grade. Beacon does a great job of building students’ internal intelligence by developing the time management and study skills, work habits, determination, and perseverance that students need to actually do the work. Tat's what's kept me going throughout these four years. I'm taking college classes right now. I still use all the tools and skill sets that Beacon taught me.
IO:
Defnitely. Especially when you're in a big lecture hall, seeing all those college kids, it's really easy to just blend in and not be worried about it. But I think one of the great things about BUA specifcally is the being able to access so many diferent areas or avenues of support. Te college counseling team as well as the BU college liaison make sure that you're not feeling lost once you're taking that frst university course.
Because of all the skills that I learned from Beacon, I'm able to keep up and do the work of a college student. My advice is to use everything that Beacon taught you to your advantage. If you need any help, make sure to reach out to your mentor or advisor. Or to me. I'm an alumni class rep, so I'll be around BUA for at least the next fve years and defnitely more because I love the school.
2024 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Kaitlyn Tan '26 competed in the Junior World Cup fencing meet in Lima, Peru, earning 6th place in the Cadet Foil event as the youngest among the top eight finishers
was the speed of Dave Stone’s fastball as he threw out the first pitch at our all-school outing to Fenway on May 2
AROUND
230 solar viewing glasses distributed and
93% totality glimpsed at our all-school annular eclipse viewing
4TH PLACE
THE LOBSTAH BOTS
BUA's robotics team, the Lobstah Bots, placed 4th out of 36 teams in their district competitions, clawing their way to the FIRST Robotics New England District Championships
BUA Chemistry Teacher and Director of Student Life Victoria Perrone was named a 2024 Teacher of the Year by the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) ran 13.1 miles in the Great Bay Half Marathon 5 students 1 teacher 1 parent 58 MPH
62 DISHES representing 24+ HERITAGES were enjoyed by 150+ GUESTS At our annual Be Together Potluck:
MAKING WAVES
Elite swimmer Sarah Bernard '24 qualified for the olympic trials in the 200m breaststroke at the Speedo Sectionals in Ocala, FL
GIL CHAMPIONS + MBIL CHAMPIONS
BUA's girls and boys varsity basketball teams both took home the league championship titles in the Girls Independent League (GIL) and Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL)
1,015 points
Girls team captain Anais Kim '24 finished out her BUA basketball career with a career total of 1,015 points, making her the first female and only second student in BUA history to score over 1,000 points
CAMPUS
Quinten Jin '25 received a rare perfect score on the fall 2023 American Mathematics Competition (AMC) exam Perfect Score
New York Times Teen Tiny Memories Contest, In the
Dora Mou '27's essay, "My Two Primal Urges," was selected as one of 15 winners
Check and Mate!
Kelsey Liu '26 placed 14th out of 86 competitors in the Under 18 Girls category at the World Youth Chess Championships in Montesilvano, Italy
BON VOYAGE AND IYI YOLCULUKLAR!
49 STUDENTS & 11 CHAPERONES
traveled to Istanbul, Paris, and New York over spring break as part of BUA's newlyrevamped global travel program
O fice Artifacts with Dr. Rosemary White
1. This is a mole . It’s a chemistry joke – get it?!
2. I got this adorable Mt. Fuji squishy guy when I chaperoned the BUA trip to Japan in 2018.
3. These are my Friends LEGO sets that I do with my son. I’m a big Friends fan (obviously). My favorite character is probably Monica.
4. This is my award from the American Chemical Society that I won for distinguished contributions to chemistry education at the secondary school level.
5. These are 3D printed atoms to demonstrate crystal packing formations.
6. The Knitting Club made me this coaster , where I keep my 10-year bowl from BU.
7. A chemistry student gifted me this giant microbe my f irst year of teaching.
8. A former advisee, Sarah Bernard '24, made this piece of calligraphy for me. It says " To know what you know, to know what you do not know, this is true knowledge " in Chinese.
9. Sally Jamrog '23, another former advisee, gave me this owl collage
10. Liz Cellucci’s visual art classes surprised me with this banner for Valentine’s Day when I was interim head of school.
DR. BRETT ABIGAÑA:
Multifaceted Man of Music
When he’s not conducting the BUA Orchestra, coaxing harmonies out of Jazz Band and Chorus, arranging pieces for the Early Music Ensemble, or dreaming up ever more devilishly difcult programs for the winter and spring concerts, Dr. Brett Abigaña, BUA’s music teacher of 16 years, is crisscrossing the country (and beyond), showcasing his talents as a nationally-known composer and conductor in his own right. In the past few years alone, Brett’s work has taken him from Hawai’i to Mystic, CT, from the hallowed chambers of Carnegie Hall to the toes-inthe-sand amphitheater on Cape Cod’s National Seashore.
Every December, Brett travels to Chicago to present his music at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, and in February, he did the same at the California State Music Educators Conference. In March of 2023, Dr. A. traveled to Honolulu, Hawai’i as the composer-in-residence for the Pacifc Basin Music Festival, a position he’s held for the past fve years. Te following month, he made a quick day trip to New York City to host the New York International Music Festival Concert at Carnegie Hall. He returned to Carnegie Hall last
June as composer-in-residence for the New York Sounds of Summer Music Festival, where his piece “At First Sight” had its world premiere.
In May of last year, Dr. Abigaña received a commission from the US Naval Academy to write a piece commemorating the appointment of the frst female Superintendent of the USNA. Te piece, an oratorio titled “Athena’s Ascent,” honors women in leadership generally and in naval leadership specifcally. In preparation for this premiere, the USNA admiral ordered a complete inspection of the structural integrity of the USNA chapel, a piece of which was broken of as a result of the sympathetic vibrations of the organ music Dr. Abigaña wrote for his last USNA commission.
Many teachers use the summer months as a chance to rest and recharge. Not Dr. Abigaña. Last summer, the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra commissioned Dr. A. for a new piece, “ Te Lamp Beside the Golden Door,” to be premiered at their July 4th concert. Te composition accompanied a reading of “ Te New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus’s famous poem about the Statue of Liberty.
Over the past year, Dr. Abigaña also hosted two music festivals, one at Carnegie Hall, the other at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
What’s on the horizon for Dr. A.? He’s working on a new consortium commission for colleges and high schools around the world which will be premiered in February at Marshall University in West Virginia. His new tuba concerto,“ Tree Songs for Two People,” will be premiered in St. Gallen, Switzerland by Karl Schimke and Stadtmusik St. Gallen in July of 2025. And who knows what schemes Dr. Abigaña has up his sleeve for BUA’s musicians this year?
Of the opportunity to be a working composer and musician on top of his day job as a music educator, Dr. Abigaña refects:
In May of 2024, Dr. Abigaña’s new work entitled “Skeid” was premiered at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Dr. A. composed the piece for the high school band at Johansen High School in Modesto, CA, along with special education musicians from the same school. Dr. Abigaña shares: “seeing the special ed kids in particular light up when the audience clapped for them was absolutely a highlight of my career.”
“I’m lucky to work at an institution that not only values my time and what I do outside its doors, but actively encourages it! When I go to concerts, clinics, and premieres, I bring the BUA name with me. THIS is professional development for me: I can embed myself amongst the world’s greatest musicians, and I can bring everything I learn and everything I do back to BUA so our kids can beneft from it.”
We are the lucky ones. Dr. Abigaña’s students and colleagues are enriched by his passion for his art and by his generosity of time and spirit, which infuses every aspect of school life.
IMPACT REPORT
The Annual Fund: Raising the Bar
Every dollar raised stays with BUA. Funds support:
Financial aid
Professional development
Curricular innovation
Diversity and inclusion
Classroom upgrades
Arts, athletics, extracurriculars
TOTAL GIVING IN 2023-2024
$1,268,807
ANNUAL FUND GIVING $1,044,112
GROWTH OF BUA'S ANNUAL FUND OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS
672
102
$3.0 MILLION TOTAL AID GRANTED
30% OF BUA STUDENTS received financial aid
AVERAGE AID AWARD
$39,679
“BUA has been so supportive of my children as financial aid recipients. I have seen the school ramp up its commitment to financial aid since my older daughter graduated. It makes all the difference in the world!”
BUA Parent
Students discussing Beowulf in Dr. Alvarez's English class
Students learning to use a microscope in Dr.
biology class
STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO 10 1 TO
37% RECOGNIZED IN THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM OF THE CLASS OF 2024
MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS
REPRESENTS 30 LANGUAGES 35%
STUDENTS OF COLOR
56% SELF-REPORTED
Krivacek's
ENDOWMENT GIFTS
A named endowed fund is a gif established in perpetuity, with annual investment earnings used to provide support for a particular purpose agreed upon by the donor and the school. BUA is grateful for these funds, which ensure longterm fnancial stability and represent enduring tributes to faculty, mentors, alumni, family, and friends.
The following endowed funds were generously established or added to during the 2023–2024 year:
Bridge to BUA Scholarship Fund
Established in 2024, in support of the BUA 2030 Strategic Vision, to provide scholarship awards to students coming to BUA from educational access organizations, including but not limited to Alexander Twilight Academy, Beacon Academy, Epiphany School, and A Better Chance.
Dr. Jennifer Formichelli Memorial Scholarship Fund
Established in 2022, in memory of BUA English teacher Dr. Jennifer Formichelli, to provide scholarship awards to students with backgrounds historically underrepresented at BUA, with a preference for students from the City of Boston.
Great Teachers Fund for Faculty Support
Established in 2018 by Ruth A. Moorman (CAS '88, Wheelock '89, Wheelock '09, Par BUA '15) and Sheldon N. Simon (Par BUA '15) to honor retired teachers by supporting current faculty members' eforts to improve their teaching.
Manning Fund for Holistic Financial Aid
Established in 2020 by Timothy Manning (MET'97, Par BUA'16) to alleviate non-tuition expenses incurred by students who receive fnancial aid.
Haley Murphy Morrill Memorial Scholarship Fund
Established in 2008, in memory of Haley Murphy Morrill (BUA Class of 2010), to provide a tenth grade girl with scholarship assistance.
Additional Current-Use and Endowment Funds that Support BUA Financial Aid and Programs:
Diversity & Inclusion Fund
Head of School Discretionary Fund
Jacob Koton Classics Fund
James Berkman Fund for Faculty Support
Robotics Team Fund
Scholarship Endowment Fund
Strategic Initiatives Fund
Young-Mayer Fund for Excellence & Access
THANK YOU!
We are grateful to the many alumni and parents/guardians who donated their time, energy, and expertise to help our school thrive.
2023-2024 Head of School Advisory Board
Te BUA Advisory Board is composed of parents, alumni, members of the BU community, outside educators, and other experts in their respective felds. Te Board provides support and counsel to the Head of School, with a focus on the long-term success and sustainability of the school. Te Board is sanctioned by the Provost of Boston University, as are each of the University's advisory boards.
Paul Bernard P'24
David Chard, Dean, BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
Joanna Davidson P'24, Associate Professor of Anthropology, BU
Peter Fisher P'26
Amie Grills P'27, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Afairs, BU
Graham Healy-Day '07
Katie Kozin '00
Will Leuchtenberger '07
Ray Liu P'23, P'25
Alice Owolabi Mitchell P'24
Bob Mulroy P'24, co-chair
John Quackenbush P'24
Elizabeth Saltonstall P'22
Abby Walsh '04, co-chair
Cristy Walsh P'22
2023-2024 Alumni Council
Te BUA Alumni Council works to strengthen BUA's community through initiatives that engage graduates with each other and the Academy.
John Leen '96
Emily Engler '97
Bobby Meehan '97
Kenny Bacow '00
Rebecca Carr '04
Abigail Walsh '04
Dan Forward '05
Mia Cellucci '06
Natan Magid '06, co-chair
Simon Van Zuylen-Wood '07
Samantha Cohen '08
Ben Daus '08
Leah Fine '08
Kelly O’Grady '09
Josephine Massey '11
Cameron Stewart '12
Ella Hathaway '13
Victor Kamenker '13
Lia Kaynor '13
Gabriel Ravel '13
Isabelle Bertolozzi '14
Hadassa Mikalixen '14, co-chair
Sarah Simon '15
Mayrose Beatty '16
Dheekshita Kumar '16
Isaac Karpovsky '18
Congratulations to Katy Brown '15 and Ishan Sawai '15 who were married this past year. They celebrated in Boston and India with many BUA family and friends in attendance.
ALUMNI NEWS
Arjun Sawai '19, Orly Lipset '15, Natalie Mayer '14, Jason Silvestri '15, Rachel Lunny '16, Katy Brown '15, Ishan Sawai '15, Bary Lisak '15, Dorothy Brown '22, Joe Walsh '15, Olive Brown P'15, P'20, P'22, P'24, P'28
Distinguished Alumni Award: Lydia Hill '11
BUA is delighted to present the 20242025 Distinguished Alumni Award to Major Lydia Hill '11 for her service in the United States Air Force as well as for her advocacy on behalf of LGBTQIA airmen.
Tis annual award, launched in 2022, goes to an alumnus/a who best exemplifes the values of BUA and has used those qualities to make an impact on the community and world around them. Recipients are nominated by the alumni community and selected by the BUA Alumni Council.
Major Hill graduated from BUA in 2011 and went on to the United States Air Force Academy, where she received her commission in 2015 as a distinguished graduate. Major Hill lef her own legacy at USAFA, founding the Spectrum Alliance for LGBTQIA cadets, which is still in operation today. Major Hill has worked with KC-135s and F-16s as an aircraf maintenance ofcer, served as a wing executive ofcer, has deployed in support of named operations worldwide, and been stationed in England, South Korea, Illinois, and San Diego. She holds two master’s degrees: an MA in psychology from San Diego State and an MA in professional counseling from Lindenwood University. Major Hill currently serves as an instructor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Major Hill has maintained her connection to BUA. In 2021, she returned to address the community at a Veterans Day all-school meeting. In her remarks, Major Hill spoke openly about mental health issues, LGBTQIA inclusion, and leading a
life of service. She refected on BUA as being “the frst place I really saw people step up and be agents of change,” and shared her gratitude for a BUA teacher who inspired her “by living his life openly and with courage.”
Major Hill’s candid refections received an enthusiastic reception from the BUA audience, with students expressing their deep appreciation in the Q&A following her talk.
We are grateful to Major Hill for her service and for her commitment to BUA. She refects on her BUA experience and her USAF career below.
Congratulations on being the recipient of the 2023-2024 BUA Distinguished Alumni Award! What does this award mean to you?
It is an absolute honor to be considered for this award and ultimately be chosen for it. I know the caliber of BUA students & alumni and I am thrilled to be able to highlight the benefts of military service to BUA students through this award.
How did your BUA experience impact your career trajectory?
I arrived at BUA as a sophomore without much direction or understanding of what I wanted to do after high school. I frst learned about military service academies at an allschool meeting where a parent of a BUA alum who went to West Point came back to talk about his son’s career in the Army. Afer that moment, military service academies became a possibility for me as I saw a path that involved structure, strong academics, and doing something more
than just earning a degree. Te US Air Force Academy (USAFA) specifically came into focus because I was fencing at the time and USAFA is the only service academy with an NCAA Division 1 Fencing Team. Once I got to USAFA, my BUA experience really helped me in the classroom as I was used to high academic expectations, but also in terms of becoming a change agent because I had witnessed that frsthand while at BUA.
What lessons learned at BUA do you still carry with you today?
BUA’s mission statement of being a “kind and curious student…thinking critically…exploring…and engaging meaningfully in community” still resonates with me today. At BUA I learned the benefts of asking questions and continuing to push the boundaries of learning and knowledge. I was the recipient of kindness from faculty and students both as a new sophomore but also when I was struggling. And fnally, I saw individuals engaging in the BUA community to make it better for all, even sometimes when it wasn’t popular.
What inspired you to apply to the USAFA? Was that something other BUAers did at the time?
When I was at BUA only two oth-
er individuals in the history of the school had applied to military academies (one West Point and one Navy) so applying to USAFA was unheard of. I was even told by a teacher that I shouldn’t apply there and instead apply to “more rigorous academic institutions.” It was sometimes a rocky road to navigate and justify to teachers, other students, and sometimes parents of students. But I applied to USAFA because I was looking for something more than just going to college – I even applied to universities with AFROTC detachments and was talking to a recruiter about enlisting in the Air Force. I wanted something that ofered structure, a job upon graduation, and a way to go to school without taking on a huge fnancial burden.
You started the Spectrum Alliance for LGBTQIA cadets – the first LGBTQ+ afinity group – at USAFA. Did you encounter pushback or obstacles in getting that off the ground?
I was lucky in that there were two seniors at USAFA when I was a freshman who really did a lot of the paperwork/admin side of getting the club started. However, there was some resistance from others during our frst active year (2012) and questions from individuals of why Spectrum was needed. I did encounter some narrow mindsets from individuals at USAFA who felt that the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in 2011 (DADT) would be the end of the military as we knew it. But there was also a lot of support from Senior Leaders at USAFA, instructors, and other cadets, and that is what motivated us to continue pushing forward with the club.
Is advocacy a skill/value you learned at BUA?
It was a skill I observed consistently being implemented for the frst time. I came to BUA as a sophomore after struggling at my previous school during freshman year, and I had a lot of my own issues to deal with while at BUA, so I wasn’t really able to step
up or practice advocacy for others. But I saw how teachers like Mr. Gambone stepped up and created a GSA to provide a space for students to be themselves.
You hold an MA in psychology. Is there a stigma around mental health issues in the military? How has your work started to break down those barriers?
Te stigma towards seeking mental health treatment exists across all domains of society, including the military. During my time in the military, I have seen improvements to the system and a renewed focus on supporting military members seeking mental health help. I think one obstacle that still exists are myths about what seeking help will do to one’s career. Too many people might hear one story about an individual that resulted in a certain action, and then that story gets spread and can prevent other members from seeking help due to fear of the outcome. I also think that as a society we have gotten better at discussing mental health, which reduces the unknown or fear around the subject. On an individual level, research on how veterans seek help and the reasons they might not seek help informs policy and improves outreach/education. Additionally, as someone who has received mental health help, I have the ability and responsibility to speak on the topic and help reduce the stigma towards helpseeking.
What is the most interesting place that you’ve been deployed?
I have been fortunate in being sent all throughout Europe and Asia on behalf of the military. As for the most interesting place, I would say Tailand because I never would have imagined going there if not for the military. It was incredible to work with the Royal Tai Air Force and we were part of an exercise that included over 20 diferent nations in support of defense in the Indo-Pacifc Region.
In your experience, how has your military service had a real world impact? What does leading a life of service mean to you?
As an instructor at USAFA, I have been incredibly fortunate to be involved in operations that have resulted in real world impact including deterring Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, enabling strike missions against terrorist cells, supporting our allied forces across the globe, ensuring security and stability within the Indo-Pacifc region, and currently helping create future leaders of the Air Force and Space Force that will lead with integrity, character, and make the military a better place through taking care of people.
A life of service can be accomplished in many career felds, including the military. Ultimately, I view a life of service as being part of something bigger than myself and my own ambitions. Tere have been assignments and trips I wasn’t always the most excited to take, but at the end of the day, it is about focusing on my role and doing what is needed of me to enable the success of a larger operation or the bigger picture. I think a skill I developed because of this is the mentality of “grow where you are planted.” Every job and location will have its ups and downs, but I always can improve things both for the Airmen I am able to lead and the mission.
What advice would you share with BUA students who are interested in exploring a military career?
Do it. Tere are many diferent options regarding a military career – attending a service academy, enrolling in ROTC at college, enlisting, or joining the reserves or the guard. Even if you serve for four years or 20 years, the skills you learn in the military and the personal development are rarely found in other jobs. Te military is a fantastic way to do a service job, travel the world, meet new people, and learn skills that will beneft you regardless of where life takes you.
BUA ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1997
Heather Treseler '97's “Auguries & Divinations” was published by Bauhan Press in April 2024. It received the 2023 May Sarton Poetry Prize and is a fnalist for the 2024 New England Book Award in poetry. Poems in the collection have appeared in several journals and have received Narrative Magazine's poetry prize, the W. B. Yeats Prize, Te Missouri Review's Editors' Prize, and Frontier Poetry's annual prize. Treseler writes regularly for the Los Angeles Review of Books and Harvard Review, and she is a scholar at the Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center and professor of English at Worcester State University. She is grateful to all of her BUA teachers, especially Catherine Pollock, Mark Davies, Ethan Hoblitzelle, Elwin Sykes, Maxine Rodburg, John Talbot, Larry Davidson, and the late Joseph Basile. Her book traces the arc of a young woman's coming of age in the suburbs of New England with sustained attention to the history of the love lyric, and it's available at most US independent bookstores and at online retailers.
1998
Sudip Saunders '98 gave birth to her frst baby, Bear Alfred Senna Saunders, and moved back from Baltimore to Somerville with her family to raise him.
1999
J. Courtney Sullivan '99, a New York Times best-selling author, released her latest novel Te Clifs on July 2.
2000
Anna Winestein '00 and her partner George Gamota are excited to announce that they welcomed their frst child, Marcus Jonathon Gamota-Winestein, on April 10, 2024. Marcus is a generally happy, hyper-social and active baby who keeps his parents on their toes without resorting to much crying except when they try to take him away from a party. Also, Anna recently celebrated two years as the inaugural director of programs at Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, where she is building up an active series of arts and ideas programming as well as connections and partnerships between the synagogue and its members and the broader community.
2004
Dygo Tosa '04 got married in 2022 and his son turned one this year in February. He teaches high school Latin in Springfeld Public Schools and lives in Hampden in Western Mass.
2009
Diya Berger '09 and her husband Jason Lipschutz welcomed their daughter Maya in 2023.
2012
Alessandra Davy-Falconi '12, who works with the Viral Communications and Space Enabled research groups at the MIT Media Lab, was selected as a winner of the 2024 MIT Excellence Awards. One of MIT's highest honors, the MIT Excellence Awards + Collier Medal acknowledge the extraordinary eforts made by members of the MIT community toward fulflling the goals, values, and mission of the Institute. Alessandra was recognized in the Serving our Community category.
Cameron Stewart '12 got engaged!
2013
Njeri Grevious '13 is a leader and a representative of Blacks at Microsof (BAM) and in partnership with Nasdaq’s Global Link of Black Employees (GLOBE), she was proud to join her colleagues in ringing the closing bell on Nasdaq in February in honor of Black History Month.
As the Archaeological Institute of America's 2024-2025 Olivia James Traveling Fellow, Susanna Faas-Bush '14 will be conducting dissertation research outside of Pompeii in Italy for 2024-2025 academic year - folks traveling thereabouts should feel free to get in contact!
2014
Cathryn Hart '14 graduated from Harvard Business School with both an MBA and an MS in engineering. She was named a Baker Scholar and received the Dupre Nunnelly Innovation Leader Award. She has moved to Houston, TX to begin her career!
Hadassa Mikalixen '14 got engaged to Justin Carter!
2015
Aaron Handleman '15 is working on a PhD in computer science at Washington University in St. Louis.
Emanuelle "Emmie" Grody '15 was married to Eitan Borgnia on March 24, 2024 in Foxborough, MA. Emmie is a PhD candidate at Northwestern University and Eitan is a cofounder and COO of Squack, Inc. Tey live in Chicago, IL.
2016
Sarah Hough '16 got married! She now goes by Sarah Eustis-Guthrie, afer a wonderful celebration in July 2023 with many fellow BUA alums and teachers in attendance.
2017
Jacob Nazarenko '17 ran in the 128th Boston Marathon, which was a dream come true for him.
Stay up-to-date on all things BUA Alumni! Follow @bua_alumni on Instagram and Facebook
2018
Julius Tabin '18, a PhD candidate in the Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, visited BUA and led ninth-grade biology students in a lesson about zombie fies and sporulating fungi. He even brought fies and larvae for students to dissect under the microscope!
2020
Douglas Hazel '20 graduated from Tufs University with a master's degree in neurobiology. He will continue his work at Tufs University as a research assistant in the Michael Levin Lab with a focus on understanding how biological cells interact and cooperate to achieve shared goals through computational AI modeling. He is also continuing neuroscience research at Boston University as a lab technician in the Robert Reinhart Lab. Lastly, he is excited to venture into the entrepreneurial world with a new startup cofounded by Michael Levin and David Kaplan called Morphoceuticals, focusing on using computational AI modeling to understand the bioelectric network that controls tissue damage and disease states.
2021
Nico Moldovean '21 was selected for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program’s class of 2024. He worked with Redwire Space in Colorado over the summer, doing research and development for critical spacecraf components. He also led the Tufs Rocketry Team to its frst-ever entry - and 18th place fnish - in the Spaceport America Cup.
Kieran Barrett '21 began pursuing his master's degree in computer science at Stanford this past spring.
In Memoriam
Charles “Charlie” Miller '07 unexpectedly passed away from cardiac arrest on February 27, 2024.
Afer graduating from BUA in 2007, Charlie attended Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2011. He continued on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with his PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics. Most recently, Charlie was the Assistant Director of Technology Transfer at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
He was also deeply involved in fundraising and outreach eforts for Child’s Play, an organization devoted to improving the lives of children and teens in children’s hospitals.
Charlie is survived by his wife, Cortney Miller; his mother and father, Anne and Dean Miller; his sister, Maggie; and family and friends who love him and will miss him greatly.
Graham Healy-Day '07 shared, “Charlie was an ebullient presence in our class. His voluble laugher, commitment to social justice, and friendship towards all will be remembered and treasured.”
Isabelle Bertolozzi '14, Zach Biletch '14, Jacob Fucci '14, and Kevin Chao '14
Kaly Glavas '19, Andrew Yan '19, and Brooke Skinner '19
Duncan Peckham '19, Dakang Peng '20, Jean Lee '20, and Alex Duchnowski '20
Sarah Danglo '09 and Dave Stone
Kenny Bacow '00 and Chris Kolovos
Jeff Quinn '07 and David Thayer '08
David Lax '14, Dennis Cher '14, and Gabriela Jackson '16
Don D'Amico '01, Roger Hewer-Candee '02, and Daniel Gross '01
Piero Pertile '05, Danielle Passno, and Alex Teixeira '06
Turner Hayes '04, Alison Pappavaselio, and Chris Pappavaselio '04
Andrew Yan '19, Owen Twohill, Alex Duchnowski '20, Chris Kolovos, and Dakang Peng '20
Owen Bergstein '26 is a junior at BUA and a leader of the school’s Crossword Club. A longtime puzzle solver, he is a self-taught crossword creator and published his first puzzle last year in The Modern, the crossword feature on the Puzzle Society’s website. He created this crossword especially for BUA.
School Secrets
School Secrets
Semicircular curve
Ties up
Flash ___ (sudden group of people doing the same thing)
Little plastic part of many basic necklaces
Drain, in a sense
Rhyming opposite of "fire"
16 Sit in a car with a running engine 17 One waving you through a metal detector at the airport
One-on-one fight
Disappointed clucks 21 Energy company that went bankrupt in a 2001 scandal
Receding beach phenomenon
Possible answer to "which group wants to present first?"
Prince ___ (alias for Aladdin)
*Frustrated sigh*
"This makes sense..."
Impossibly perfect society
Make super wet
Not young
Metaphor for an extrovert
Deep cooking vessel
Chanel competitor
Subsides 43 Give a vaccine, humorously 45 Quick daytime sleep
Evil 47 Put on a hook 49 Not entirely sold 53 Huge sporting venue
55 Annual BUA event for juniors and seniors
57 Makes a choice
58 What pulling down a certain book on a bookshelf might reveal... or a hint to this puzzle's circled letters, with regard to BUA?
60 ___ code (first three numbers of a phone number)
61 Makes a mistake 62 Nary a soul
Pointy projectile
Soccer icon Hamm 65 Certain organic compound, chemically 66 He/him/___ pronouns
Wait
Put new dialogue over a bit of film
Martin of the Miami Heat
Calling accidentally, in a way
Problem 6 All tidied up
Tegan & Sara and Sonny & Cher, for two
8 Initials on many lotion bottles 9 Company that makes Windows 10 "Double Stuf" brand 11 Swiss capital 13 Fraternity whose name is the fifth and then sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet 15 Third-most spoken language in the world, after English and Mandarin
Extra charge
Homer epic about the Trojan War
"Man, that really sucks" 26 Seize illegally, as power
Owen Bergstein '26
27 "I ___ it!" ("pick me, pick me!") 29 Friend of Tao, Charlie, and Isaac, in "Heartstopper"
Popular ice cream brand
Alternative to Fed-Ex
Horn noise
8-sided 3-dimensional shapes, mathematically
Meat-on-a-skewer dish
Extravagant, fuzzy neckwear
Bit of promotion thats
BLACKPINK and The Go-Go's, for two
___-___ (fad dance often paired with the "whip")
49 Lorna ___ (brand of cookies)
50 "You get a car" yeller
51 Early homes, in a sense
52 Entrance exams taken by many BUA prospective students
53 *Cough cough*
54 "Umbrella" singer, to her fans
55 They're better than amateurs
56 Underground tree part
59 Direction opposite of SSW
1 University Road
Boston, MA 02215
Thanks to the generosity of our Giving Day challenge sponsors, BUA was able to treat all students and faculty to a Red Sox game this past April. One of the day’s highlights was the surprise announcement that BUA Director of Athletics and Alumni Relations Dave Stone would be throwing out the first pitch. The Red Sox organization honored Mr. Stone for his long-standing commitment to education and youth sports.
