“When I first got involved with the Missing Them project I didn’t recognize how attached I would get or how much these stories would teach me. One of my interviews was over an hour long and he told me all about his father and said that, basically, his motto was to always be kind and recognize that you don’t need to be acknowledged for something for it to feel rewarding. That resonated with me because it kind of connected to what I was doing—I’m not being recognized by anyone for this work but it’s so gratifying to think about how important it is.” - Riane Lumer ’24, a student volunteer for the Missing Them project | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/MissingThem Photo taken by Yating Wang '24

“One of the things we’re always thinking about at PULSE is how a particular experience illuminates larger systemic issues. The Missing Them project couldn’t have been a more perfect match because it so clearly shows how the loss of an individual person is connected to their community, the type of work they did, even what’s going on in healthcare. When students were beginning their research they could look at a map of COVID deaths in New York City and see how concentrated those deaths were in areas of lower income, areas with people of color. It was an extremely clear visualization of the uneven effects of the virus, and it was eye-opening to them.” - Eileen Sweeney, Philosophy Department Boston College Professor who spearheaded Boston College's collaboration with the Missing Them project | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/MissingThem

"What I realized being back in Pakistan and intellectually canvassing the area is that in a country like that, the highest glass ceiling a woman can break is the political realm. Those are the most powerful positions and it’s still considered to be a male-dominated field where patriarchy reigns. So if any woman has come up from adverse circumstances and been able to claim one of those positions, that’s a story I wanted to investigate. The initial goal wasn't to write a book—that came later on." - Urwa Hameed '22, will graduate from Boston College in December at the age of 18 and is the author of "Steering Towards Change" | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/Unstoppable

"It was my passion for advocacy work that led me to Boston College. It was really important to me to be in an environment where social justice was at the core of the institution’s culture and I think that BC really exemplifies that through its focus on servant leadership, Catholic social teaching, and service. Through my academics, I've discerned that my passion lies in the intersection between media and human rights, so when I saw that there was an opening in the Department of Global Communications at the United Nations, I applied. It wasn’t until the final round of the interviews when they told me that this internship was no longer a two-month internship but rather a six-month commitment. I had this moment of, “How am I going to do 40 hours a week on top of school?” But I have some incredible mentors at BC who really encouraged me to keep going. Not only would I have not gotten this job without my mentors, but I wouldn't be able to do the job well without leaning on them. As I prepare to leave the Heights this spring, I can’t help but reflect on the multitude of gifts BC has given me, and the incredible relationships I have developed here most certainly tops the list." - Elizabeth McDermott ’22, International Studies major with a concentration in ethics and social justice who is currently working as a public information intern with the United Nations

“Having lived in Africa and grown up in India, the opportunity to go to a first-class university is something I still appreciate. It engraced me with what I am today. The Boston College atmosphere was unique and the Jesuit tradition of trying to find excellence in whatever you do for the greater glory of God resonates with me.” - Alexander Philiphose M'74, the oldest volunteer currently in the Peace Corps Response Program | Read More in Boston College Magazine: https://on.bc.edu/AlexanderPhiliphose

“Most people tune in to the Miss America pageant for one day and then forget about it, but it’s really an entire year of service and an opportunity for professional development, networking, and leaving an impact. As contestants, we all have our own social impact initiative that we're passionate about and ways we want to leave our mark. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, we're not just pretty women who have no idea what's going on in the world—we’re well-rounded individuals who are dedicated to our communities. I think that's a part of it that no one really gets to see.” - Elizabeth Pierre, Miss Massachusetts and a Boston College School of Social Work master’s student | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/ElizabethPierre

“The Boston College Connell School of Nursing program is so focused on the fundamentals - you do simulations, you have lectures, it gets repeated over and over again: airway, breathing, circulation. You learn all the things that can go wrong and all the things that nurses can do to intervene, and then hope when something happens, you don't have to think through how to handle it, it's just instinctual. I've been a lifeguard since high school and CPR certified for a long time, and yet had it not been for my nursing training, I don't know that I would have been as helpful or successful in that moment.” - Cameron Howe '18, DNP '23, helped save the life of a Boston Marathon runner | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/AlwaysonDuty

"In addition to being a disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 is a human moral tragedy. Put bluntly, it illustrates the failure of developed health systems to address the needs of global public health. COVID-19 has demonstrated that global health systems perpetuate distributive injustice. It's not a disease of equity. It disproportionately affects the elderly, poor, and brown and black communities. This is due to the “perfect storm” of determinants that increase the spread of coronavirus as well as the likelihood of dying from COVID-19. "As we know from our experiences of stay-at-home orders, self-quarantines, and isolation periods, COVID-19 has weaponized interpersonal relationships. We are confronted with a paradox, to survive the disease we need to isolate and social distance from each other, but can humans flourish in isolation? The pandemic has made it abundantly clear that nationalistic health policies are foolish. No nation can consider itself superior to the global community nor are they able to isolate themselves from the virus. The pandemic has forced the international community to accept this fact of our interconnectedness. The international community now needs to promote solidarity in terms of access to the vaccines. Without effective cooperation, sharing of resources, and coordination the virus will not stop. "COVID-19 leaves over 97 percent of its victims still breathing, but it leaves virtually every member of the global community afraid, anxious, isolated, and alone. The virtues of love, compassion, and endurance may help overcome this sense of despair. Likewise, combatting the COVID-19 pandemic requires public health initiatives that promote both the global common good and a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable." - Joshua Snyder, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Boston College Theology Department

“Running a marathon, your brain is very focused on surviving the next mile, so I didn't get to appreciate the enormity of it as much as I thought I would during the race. But I feel like all of my friends held that space for me, and did a good job reminding me how huge this was. They had a whole strategy of spreading out over Mile 20 and 21 and having different people in different locations holding posters with cutouts of my head on them. I keep finding little notes all over my apartment saying, ‘You beat MALS,’ ‘You ran the Marathon,’ ‘You did it!’ which has just been so special.” - Olivia Colombo ’22, who overcame a dire medical diagnosis to run her first Boston Marathon | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/MorethanaMarathon

"It means, honestly, the world to me that people take the time to watch my videos, all the comments, likes, messages, students that come up to me on campus saying, 'You're the reason I came to BC.' That's just crazy. To have that sort of impact with my videos is just something I never would have imagined. "Growing up, I always loved video stuff and cameras. But I sort of lost touch with video. I picked up the camera again. One of my dreams, since I was a really little kid, was to have a YouTube channel and be a YouTuber. And that basically became what I consumed as a kid. Maybe you don't have the nicest camera. Maybe you don't have the editing skills or storytelling, but those same people that you're watching now, the people that made it, everyone has to start somewhere, and they just uploaded a video 'cause they thought it was fun, and then they stuck with it." - Shan Rizwan '21, YouTube creator who filmed lifestyle videos while a student on the Heights | Watch more: https://youtu.be/4woqyo-AIYU

“If 65 to 70 percent of the world's cocoa comes from West Africa, it seems logical that West Africa would actually be the chocolate hub of the world—but it's not. That speaks volumes because it means we're missing out on a major economic value to our economy and to our country. My sister Priscilla and I set out to change that, but we said if we’re going to create a chocolate brand, we’re not going to do one that you might think is Swiss or American, we’re going to create a chocolate brand that reflects African art and culture.” - Kimberly Addison ’12, co-founder of 57 Chocolate | READ MORE in Boston College Magazine: https://on.bc.edu/RaisingtheBar

“My first job out of college was as a criminal defense investigator for the public defender office in Washington, D.C. At the time it was exciting to me—I was working on cases, interviewing witnesses, testifying in court—but I spent a lot of time in the D.C. jail and it just felt like a place that was completely empty of anything nourishing for the people who were there. Later, after getting my master’s in English at Boston College, I started teaching in BU’s Prison Education Program and that's where I saw the power of these programs. The classroom is one of the only places in prison where for a two-hour window people don't feel like prisoners, and it can lead to great discussions, really interesting insights, and personal development.” - Patrick Conway M.A.’12, Ph.D. ’22, the new director of the BC Prison Education Program | Read more: https://on.bc.edu/PatrickConway