“[A high school art history class] changed my life. I could look at history and the history of civilizations through pictures and through storytelling. ... [At BC] I would go to Bapst Library, and I would get lost in pictures and history and understanding where art and power and politics converged in such a fascinating way.” - Gabriela Palmieri ’97, Founder and Principal of Palmieri Fine Art, Inc. | READ about how she bet on herself and became one of the art world’s most influential advisors in Boston College Magazine: https://on.bc.edu/GPalmieri_BCM

"My business partner and I started P.S. I Love You 9821, a custom apparel and bracelet business, as two sports moms who wanted to create meaningful, personalized pieces. We donate a portion of our sales to cancer care and research. We both lost our dads to cancer, so giving back has always been an important part of our business. "I was an art major at Boston College, so it feels pretty special that all these years later I'm using that creative side of myself again and that it has now brought me back to the BC community. Creating our pieces for the Red Bandana Game made that connection even more meaningful. A portion of the proceeds from this bandana collection were donated to the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust." - Susannah Sullivan '05, co-founder and owner of PS I Love You 9821

"The Tartan Army will always hold a big memory for me: the amount of joy and zeal the Scottish fans brought was truly contagious...One memory sticks out the most. I was standing at the mobility tent and I saw a group of fans in the parking lot outside the stadium gate. It was the Scotland vs. Morocco match, and one of the Moroccan fans had a soccer ball he was passing around with his friends. A Scotland fan walked by and asked to have a 'touch.' The Moroccan fan immediately passed the soccer ball to him, and they started playing and demonstrating their soccer skills with one another. This was my first witness to the power of the soccer community and the beauty of bringing the world together for this monumental event. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, and then the fans moved on and continued into the stadium for the match. Who knew a soccer ball could bring so many people together and show me the power of community that exists across cultures? - Maureen (Giusti) Britton M. Ed '13, MA '15, who worked as a Mobility Specialist at Boston Stadium during the 2026 FIFA World Cup | READ MORE about BC community members who were part of the tournament's success: https://on.bc.edu/EaglesWorldCup2026

"I got the last spot in the program, and I am in ROTC, so it's harder to study [abroad] for a full semester. And I also love financial accounting, and the course offered was a requirement for my major, so that also drew me to the program. I received a McGillycuddy-Logue travel grant, which I am very grateful for because without that I would not have been able to have this amazing opportunity. "It was just such a great experience for me personally because I haven't had much international exposure. My program director was so amazing, and I was able to get the complete experience of studying abroad. Because you're not just traveling, you're actually immersing yourself in the culture and seeing everything that you should see. We went on tours and learned the history of the Czech Republic. We also learned a lot about how the Czech culture has changed over time. And it all made us appreciate the country more. "There are a lot of different career paths I'm very open to. I'm hoping to be a financial officer in the Army or maybe something in logistics. First, I'm hoping to serve as an officer in the Army after I graduate, and I think traveling and seeing the world is so important for that goal, as serving includes deployments. The world is so big, and I feel like people should see it so that they can better appreciate the United States." - Katie Tindal '29, who studied financial accounting in Prague through BC's study abroad summer program

“As an innovator, you always want to fail fast. When you think of innovation, you kind of think further out, and it takes time to get to that point, but there's a lot of failing in between. I think that's really important in life in general: fail fast, figure out what you're not good at or what you are good at, and then continue to build from there. The best innovators are always learning lessons, always pushing boundaries, but sometimes people forget that it’s okay to not do well initially.” - Osamase Ekhator ’17, an Innovation Concept Manager for New Balance | READ MORE about his journey: https://on.bc.edu/OEkhator

"I think that any opportunity to experience other cultures, especially as an American, has helped to open my worldview. It’s so important to learn how to communicate with different people, and getting to speak to experts about immigration was a really fun way to do that. I also think learning new languages is such a vital skill, and the opportunity allowed me to immerse myself in Spanish." - Sumi Shah '29, who conducted immigration research at the Universitat de València - UV and the Universidad Europea of Valencia through an Advanced Study Grant and Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics Travel Grant Photo by Amanda Simpson '28

"I have learned that I'm much different than my parents when it comes to handling stress and pressure from corporate life, most likely due to the fact that baseball taught me how to focus under pressure and maintain perspective on the situation at hand, big or small. I always think back to what Coach Frieds [former pitching coach Scott Friedholm] said to me during a mound visit when we were playing at Miami in 2014. There were runners on first and second with no one out in the fourth inning, and he said, 'It's not what if; it's what is.' He was telling me to stay in the present moment and execute what needed to be done without worrying about what may happen, since it had not happened anyway." - Andrew Chin '15, former Boston College Baseball player, New York Yankees draft pick, and, along with his parents, the subject of "Home Plate," by Breakwater Studios in association with McDonald's (🎥 WATCH: https://youtu.be/cxH7aHzbRog)

"It was an incredible experience to be part of such a global event. I’ve worked at Gillette Stadium during New England Patriots games and concerts before, but the passion the soccer fans brought to each game was on another level. To see all the cultures of the different countries coming together to enjoy the games was very special. I don’t think I will be a part of an event of this magnitude for the rest of my career. I am very lucky to have been able to experience this." - Eddie Timmerman ’13, a Needham Police Department Detective who worked security detail for all seven games held at Boston Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup | READ MORE about BC community members who were part of the tournament's success: https://on.bc.edu/EaglesWorldCup2026

"Copenhagen lies at the intersection of business and well-being: In the United States, it seems difficult to create a harmonious balance between ourselves when we are studying or working versus who we are when we are out of the office. Denmark has done an extraordinary job at maximizing the country's 'hygge' (a Danish and Norwegian word that translates to a deep sense of cozy comfort, safety, and happiness) while still operating in highly efficient commercial industries. My experiences in Copenhagen through the Boston College Office of Global Education's summer abroad program and Professor Evans' class (The Ethics of Capitalism: Flourishing in a Commercial Society) allowed me to fully immerse myself in Copenhagen's culture. Copenhagen feels like a second home, and I am excited to take what I have learned about happiness and flourishing societies back into Boston in August!" - Kate Goodman '28 (pictured on the left)

"Three years into parish ministry, I can say I love being a Lay Pastoral Associate. My role is essentially walking with people as they grow in faith and live out their faith in their lives. I get to work with every age group—from children aged 3-6 in our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program to our seniors who are sick and homebound. I still work with college students, and I support our parish’s liturgical life, but my ministry has expanded beyond what I imagined at graduation. I also animate all our faith formation and support our community life at the church. I am grateful for how my M.Div. degree prepared me for a breadth of ministry and how my professional and volunteer experience allowed me to grow in confidence and competence as a minister. While my ministry is different than I imagined when I first graduated, I can see how all my experiences, my personality, and my passion come together in my current work. I am in constant awe at the ways God is at work in the lives of the parishioners I serve and in the parish as a whole and grateful for the part that I get to play in partnering with God’s work!" - JoAnn Lopez M.Div. ‘15, the 2026 recipient of Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry's Young Alumni Leadership in Ministry Award who serves as the Lay Pastoral Associate at St. Basil’s Catholic Parish at the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto | Read the Q&A: https://on.bc.edu/JLopezInterview

Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of serving as the Trip Lead for Boston College’s Working For and With Communities program in Santiago, Chile. I accompanied and supported a group of students as they worked alongside Chilean students, teachers, and community partners. Together, the team developed experiential learning projects with students in second-chance schools. What a fortune it is to have experienced such a human and intercultural project! I am deeply grateful to the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society for trusting me with this role, to the students I had the opportunity to accompany, and to all our partners in Chile who welcomed us so generously. Santiago was an unforgettable experience, both professionally and personally." - María Alejandra Gutiérrez-Torres, Boston College School of Social Work doctoral student, who is part of a project that won a 2026 Global Health Spark Award from Global Health at Yale | READ MORE: https://bit.ly/YaleSparkAwardSpring26

“Philosophy translated means 'love of wisdom.' Wisdom is more than the accumulation of knowledge. It means to have an orientation within the world. Philosophy is not a specific discipline. It weighs the claims of the different disciplines against one another. It is a very strong antidote to approaches that seek to avoid value judgments. We are trying to answer questions about which values are preferable.” - Vittorio G. Hösle, who was appointed to the Frederick J. Adelmann, S.J., Chair and Professor in the Philosophy Department Boston College | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/VHosle