“I just loved the school spirit. I would go to Boston College Athletics games in high school and wanted to be part of the student section...Having gone to a Catholic elementary school and a Catholic high school, I also liked that I could continue going to Mass at Boston College. My grandmother, who is friends with some of the priests here, definitely influenced my choice to go to a Jesuit college. My dad and grandmother were really excited for me [when I was accepted]. My dad immediately told everyone he works with. As a first-generation student, getting into BC was a big deal. When I got in, it felt validating for myself and my family.” - Tatiyana Orrego '29, whose father and grandmother work in BC Dining Services | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/AFamilyAffair

"Each day that I drove to medical school as a student, I read the inscription, 'Learning to Care for Those in Harm’s Way,' etched above the entrance. The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences creates military physicians for that sole purpose. And while the faculty reminded us daily of our school’s primary mission, it was not until I became embedded with special operations and submarine units that I began to truly understand that profound responsibility. I believe there is no greater job in medicine and in the military than providing the highest quality of care to our service members who voluntarily risk their lives to ensure the safety of our country. While I am no longer in the Navy, I still passionately advocate the best care for my community patients who have similarly entrusted their cardiovascular health to me." - John Chin '06, a naval medical officer who became a specialized cardiologist | READ MORE in Boston College Alumni Stories: https://on.bc.edu/JohnChin

"Interning in [the] finance [department] at MLB this summer was a dream come true. Every day I was challenged with projects that pushed me to analyze data, think critically, and communicate insights across the organization. What stuck with me most was how often I leaned on the foundation I built through my education at Boston College. The courses, professors, and community here have given me the skills and confidence to step into such a high-level environment and feel prepared. My experience at MLB showed me that what I’ve learned at BC doesn’t just stay in the classroom, it truly sets me up for the real world." - Madison Barry '26 Photo: Amanda Simpson '28

"Resilience has become the lens through which I see every challenge. Whenever I face a difficult situation, I ask myself how I can learn from it and make the most of it. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, ‘What does not kill you makes you stronger.’ Each rough moment I’ve gone through has only prepared me to confront whatever comes next. In those moments, I also turn to prayer—asking God for strength, remembering His promise of peace that the world cannot give. A guiding philosophy for me comes from Matthew 7:7: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.’ That verse reminds me that persistence, faith, and resilience open new doors, even in the hardest seasons of life. "Being part of Residence Hall Council at Messina College and Residence Hall Association has shown me how deeply connected leadership and community really are. Caring for my peers has taught me that when you support others, you also grow and learn more about yourself. Through RHC and RHA, I’ve realized that leadership isn’t just about organizing or guiding—it’s about listening, building trust, and creating spaces where people feel they belong. That lesson has shaped not only my role on campus but also the person I’m becoming. "Volunteering in Jamaica with the Mustard Seed Organization was another turning point in my journey. At first, I thought about a career mainly as a way to make money, but this experience made me realize how much work still needs to be done in the world. It led me to reflect on the three fundamental questions of a Jesuit education: What brings you joy? What are you good at? And what does the world need you to be? For me, the answer to all three came in the form of helping people. I realized that caring for others is both my joy and my strength. "This reflection has guided me toward my calling: to become a gynecologist. Women’s health is an area that has been overlooked for far too long. Not enough research has been done on women’s bodies, which makes it harder to understand conditions like PCOS and endometriosis—diseases that have caused pain for both my friends and family. Too often, women’s pain is dismissed as psychological rather than physical. It is time to change that. It is time for the medical community to take women’s health seriously, to dedicate more research, more resources, and more attention to their needs. Women deserve to have their pain heard, their health prioritized, and their lives valued.Every year that we delay progress, countless women continue to suffer in silence. The lack of urgency in addressing women’s health is not just a medical gap, it is a moral failing. If we truly believe in justice and equality, then transforming women’s healthcare must be one of the greatest priorities of our generation. "That reality drives me to want to advocate for women, to work on these conditions, and to help improve the women’s healthcare system. For me, resilience, faith, leadership, and service have all pointed to the same truth: my life’s purpose is to use my gifts to help others, especially women whose voices and needs have too often been ignored.” - Jedson Dimanche '26, the 2025 Jeffrey S. Keith Resilience Award winner at the Ever to Excel Awards

"The two best decisions in my life were coming up here to Boston College Magazine—no, maybe that was the best one, because that’s how I met and later married [in 1991] my wife, Kathleen [Grady]. Kathleen was the secretary to Boston College Football coaches Jack Bicknell and Tom Coughlin. We got married at St. Ignatius Church and had our wedding reception in McElroy Commons. Kathleen is a double Eagle; she finished both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees while working in the football office. Our son, Trevor, graduated from BC last May and is now at Washington & Lee Law School. When I came to BC, I never expected to be here for 37 years. This has been a great place to work, and it’s a great community. It has all turned out so well. We have no regrets whatsoever. I’ve got a lifetime of memories, a lifetime of friends, both inside and outside of the athletics world. BC is a place that I love." - Jim O'Neill, Boston College Athletics Associate Athletics Director for Ticket Operations | READ MORE in Boston College Magazine: https://on.bc.edu/HotTicket_BCM

"I began to truly understand the link between education and power. Education is not just a means to a job or college. Education is a lifeline — an act of resistance and a hope for transformation. I was reminded that access is not only about physical materials, but also the belief in one's potential. But it was also clear that the playing field was far from level. Children in urban centers or wealthier regions had access to resources, trained teachers, and future opportunities that my students did not. These questions brought me face-to-face with the power structures that shape educational systems worldwide." - Adriana Curtis '28, who volunteered at the Schwarz School in Zumba, Tanzania, through an Advanced Study Grant | READ her reflection on the experience: https://on.bc.edu/AdrianaCurtis_Humans

"Whenever I begin a new book, I always set aside several minutes to read and reflect on the acknowledgements. Usually found in the first few pages preceding the introduction, the acknowledgements connect me on a distinctly human level to the person whose writing I’m about to explore. Authors often name those they’re inspired by, those they’ve learned from, and those they deeply love. I find such sacredness in the vulnerability of their words. Sometimes, authors list only a few names—people whom I wonder about as I read onwards. My theology courses at Boston College have taught me that to be human is to be in relationship with others. The acknowledgements in books animate this principle in a tangible way, drawing the lives of strangers nearer to my own. They remind me of the love that saturates this world and inspire me to hold onto hope. I intend on making my final year at BC a living acknowledgements section–a time in which I am intentional about expressing gratitude for the people I love and those I’ve been lucky enough to learn from." - Molly Wysocki '26 Photo by Amanda Simpson '28

"I wanted to use filmmaking to let the world know what’s happening in Venezuela. I love my country. I loved growing up there. But the country kept getting worse and worse...We left when I was fifteen years old. The story I had in my heart was about the guilt of not being there to fight for it. The tension between your right to individual happiness versus the responsibility to the collective." - Diego Vicentini ’16, the filmmaker behind SIMÓN | READ MORE in Boston College Magazine: https://on.bc.edu/DiegoVicentini_BCM Photo: Gala Ricote

“I read an article about seaweed farming on a plane once and I was hooked, but the barriers to entry for me were really high: I don't have a hard science background. I don't know how to drive a boat. But fast forward to last year, my daughter was eight months old and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I started researching what toxins we’re exposed to on a daily basis, and the biggest one I could find was microplastic exposure. Maine was harvesting over a million pounds of kelp and I thought, okay, can we take seaweed and actually create a material to replace polymers? And that's what we're doing.” - Alexa (Coulombe) McGovern ’16, the owner of Dirigo Sea Farm in Portland, Maine, and former Boston College Women's Basketball player | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/SurpriseIngredient

“When I first came home, I wasn't a real talkative person, but I've met people who I was incarcerated with who said, ‘Oh, I heard your story and that's the reason why I did this or that,’ and I’ve realized that my story is bigger than me. Now I feel like everyone should share their story, because no matter how big or small you think it is, it’s going to touch somebody, and even if it only changes one person’s mind, that’s good enough.” - Nurudeen Alabi ’25, a former Boston College Prison Education Program student, stars in a Roadtrip Nation documentary | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/NurudeenAlabi

“We as a society have made youth sports unattainable for a lot of poor kids. My daughter's club fees are $3,000 and if you don't play club sports, you're not playing at elite levels and looking at colleges. I tell our students, if you're ever opening a club or anything like that, you need to have funds set aside for kids who can't pay to be there. You never know, the next Michael Jordan might be the kid that can't afford anything. Do we want to hold that kid back?” - Patty Raube Keller, Boston College - Woods College of Advancing Studies' director of the M.S. in Sports Administration and M.S. in Sports Analytics programs | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/GameChanger

"I like to have fun [teaching]. One of the most difficult courses for students is Civil Procedure, and Civil Procedure is not that dissimilar to getting a root canal. So I try to make it fun for my students instead of intimidating. ... I think I care so much about this because I was a student here and the community is absolutely essential. The beauty of Boston College is that we create a community, and the students are an important part of that community." - Robert Bloom JD '71, Professor of Law and Dean’s Distinguished Scholar in the Boston College Law School | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/JoyofTeaching