"When I was researching colleges I really wanted to go to a place where inclusion was at the forefront of education. I knew that I didn't want to be a special education teacher, but the ability to minor in inclusive education at the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development was an amazing option for me. I have a brother who has disabilities, so having that personal experience has been able to inform the takeaways from my classes. I'm able to see a lot of different perspectives: a policy point of view, a teacher's point of view, and my own family's point of view. I want to work in special education policy, so having this unique educational experience has been extremely valuable to me. All of my professors, fellow classmates, and experiences inside and out of the classroom have been instrumental in shaping me to always serve in my career as a person for and with others. I was able to serve as a job coach for individuals with disabilities who work on Boston College's campus through the Supported Employment Program during my freshman year PULSE placement. That was an extremely formative experience because I was able to meet some of the kindest, most wonderful, most hardworking people on BC's campus. I continued many of those relationships through the Best Buddies program. It has been the best part of my experience here. My buddy and I have stayed in contact through the pandemic and through the summertime. I'm very grateful to be a part of something that fosters these lifelong friendships no matter what barriers would normally separate us. I couldn't be more grateful for all of the friendships and relationships I've made at BC." - Audey Davis '23, Vice President of BC's Best Buddies chapter and a member of Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) Council for students with disabilities Photo by Yating Wang '24

“For these girls to play on a DI field and have access to BC’s facilities and coaches was really special, and it helps to further legitimize what they’re hoping to accomplish. We had 24 players from across three countries participate in college-style workouts and gameplay, and they also got to hear from current female college baseball players about their journeys. My hope was to help solidify in their minds that there isn’t one specific way to play baseball at a high level. If you want to play, there are different ways and opportunities for you to do so—and we've got your back as you pursue those goals.” - Lena Park ’11, Director of new media and content strategy for Baseball For All, which held its second annual Women’s College Baseball Invitational at the Heights | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/LenaPark Photo Credit: Laura Wulf

“The default reaction from liberals tends to be, ‘I don't find this funny so it's not comedy.’ Of course that's personally valid. Nobody's asking anybody to change their preferences or their sense of humor. But what happens when we generalize in a way that divides the world up like that? First, you’re going to fall into a trap of thinking that people are fundamentally so different as to have one group of people who want to laugh, and another group that doesn't. You’re going to start thinking that the world of media you see is the only one out there. You’ll have a worse understanding of how the other side thinks, talks, and votes. People have different approaches to comedy perhaps, but maybe a little less different than you think.” - Matt Sienkiewicz, Chairperson of the Communication Department and co-author of "That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them" | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/MattSienkiewicz

"I think that the Homecoming Court is a pretty unique opportunity to not only connect with some of my fellow seniors at Boston College, who I haven't had the opportunity to meet yet, but also to be able to represent a diverse little niche within the BC community. I feel like having read through everybody's bios and seeing what everybody's bringing to this Court, I think we have a really cool mix of people with different backgrounds. And I'm just really excited to be able to contribute in some capacity." - Taylor Morales '23, member of BC's first Homecoming Court

"Being a woman of color and being a transfer student, I feel like we're bringing diversity and offering diversity to the entire campus. And I can be a representation of everyone who's on this in this school. I think it's very important to me, to be a voice for people of color and especially women, as we continue to grow into this world and find opportunities and as we succeed." - Mabel Bassi '23, on what it means to be chosen to Boston College's Homecoming Court | Learn more by visiting www.bc.edu/homecoming

"One thing that means a lot to me about being on the Homecoming Court is this idea that it's not just one type of Boston College experience. One word that really sums up my BC experience is 'untraditional.' I am a Boston College - Woods College of Advancing Studies student, something that a lot of people don't know even exists at BC, and I am an RA. I think definitely for me, being on the Court means not defining BC just as one lived experience of what it means to be a student here. I think that's something that I'm really excited to show to people: That there isn't an expectation of what you have to do and what you can do to be a BC Eagle." - Ishaan Kaushal '23, a member of BC's first Homecoming Court | Learn more by visiting www.bc.edu/homecoming

"I think being on the Homecoming Court means being a part of another amazing Boston College tradition that hopefully will live on. It means a lot to students. It means recognizing the importance of servant leadership at BC through the idea of being men and women for others. I'm so grateful to have this opportunity to start this tradition, but also to be among so many other great servant leaders who care so deeply about this school and the other students they serve." - Julia Spagnola '23, a member of BC's first-ever Homecoming Court | Learn more at www.bc.edu/homecoming

"I thought that this would be a great opportunity to get out there and do something that I wouldn't normally do and kind of branch out. Boston College has really challenged me to do things that I didn't ever think I would do and this is one of them." - Welles Arkins '23, on his decision to apply to the Homecoming Court | Learn more at www.bc.edu/homecoming

"Being on Homecoming Court is the idea of representing different identities and students. I think one thing that I've learned throughout my experience at Boston College is that there's no one way to experience BC or to show pride for BC. For me, I show pride by being around friends, by serving others through mentorship opportunities, and also just being active and present for the community. I also think a part of loving BC is wanting to improve it. I think this school has a lot of amazing things about it, but I also think there are things that we can continue to improve, like every other university. So I think part of me showing spirit is being a part of the Homecoming Court, and then continuing to work to improve different areas of the community so it can be better for future Eagles." - Devianna Smith '23, member of BC's first-ever Homecoming Court | Learn more at www.bc.edu/homecoming

"I hope that we are inspiring the generation behind me—my sons’ friends—to dream of being in sports or in places where women haven’t traditionally been. Our trainer on the sidelines is a woman and our team doctor is a woman, too. If you look at the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team, a lot of the people on the sidelines are men. They are working hard to change that, and we want to work hard to change that. Part of it is showing girls where they can go." - Andrea Yoch '89, president and co-founder of Minnesota Aurora FC | READ MORE in Boston College Magazine: https://on.bc.edu/AndreaYoch

“Before this trip, I’d never biked for more than two hours at a time and suddenly we were doing 12 hours a day averaging 85 miles. My goal was to be able to see the country very deliberately, and create connections with people I wouldn’t meet otherwise. I'm from a city and it was awesome meeting people who live in towns of 20 people and realizing that we're very similar or even know some of the same people. We biked for roughly 20 seconds with a group of people going from Minneapolis to Chicago, and within that time I met one guy who worked with someone who lives in the town next to me. It's amazing realizing how big the country is, but also how small it is in the way that you can pretty easily get across it and be able to rely on the people around you.” - Leo Brickner ’25 (pictured on left with friend Pat), biked 3,623 miles from Washington to Maine this summer | View photos from their trip: https://on.bc.edu/LeoandPat

“For a long time, there was a lot of shame around my story because I felt like the 10 years that it took me out of mainstream society really put me back and that I should just focus all my efforts on catching up and let whatever happened in the past just fade and be done, but that’s not how life works. You can't let go of a 20-year battle. You can't let go of something you dealt with since you were a kid, it's part of who you are. Once I finally realized that if I actually use my experience to help other people, I’m doing a service—so many doors opened for me.” - Dina Coughlan '20, Boston College - Woods College of Advancing Studies graduate and advocate for mental health awareness | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/DinaCoughlan