“My first single was released on April 3 and I had a bunch of shows lined up in New York, Boston, Philadelphia. Everything's been canceled. So obviously that's kind of a drag, but I'm in a big group chat with all my old Boston College friends and they'd been hearing about live concerts on Instagram. They said, ‘Nik you should do a live stream. We'd love to tune in,’ so I picked a date and decided to do a fundraiser for Meals On Wheels. In 90 minutes we raised almost $2,000.” - Nickolas Diamondidis '18, musician, More Than Matter | Read more: https://on.bc.edu/NickolasDiamondidis

"My new friends and passion for education, paired with my history major, drew me to India. The many history courses I took, as well as my work alongside Professor Arissa Oh on her book project, really exposed me to a lot of new ideas and history research more generally. I learned a lot about America in the world and its relationship with other countries that people don't talk about that much. I felt I had never properly been taught history, nor historical skills in my high school history classes; I gradually realized how much there was out there to learn. I spent part of the summer after my freshman year exploring Kolkata. I decided I wanted to try and learn an Indian dialect and more about India’s rich history. Visit after visit, I always came back to the U.S. a more productive citizen, more sensitized to my surroundings and so more capable of properly seeing my city, state, and nation around me. BC and the Atlantic Coast Conference enabled me to do this through various grants I received. I was able to stay in several homestays, and to conduct historical research in both Delhi and London. As interested as I am in India, I can’t emphasize enough that I understand my place in this world as an American. I am not going there with a desire to solve India's problems; there are far enough problems here (in the U.S.) that I am closer to, that I can relate to better, and that I can make a more immediate impact. I hope to come back and affect change locally, whether that results in being my becoming a teacher or working in public service. There are always opportunities to be better and I strive to be positive and grow from my experience no matter what is thrown at me. BC gave me every opportunity to really find what I am passionate about and I can’t be more thankful that I gave it another shot after a not-so great freshman year." - Colin Phelan ‘20, Fulbright-Nehru Scholarship winner, who will return to India after graduation

"Being a nurse through this unprecedented time has been humbling, heartbreaking, and beautiful in some surprising little ways. You really start to realize that the most important thing is just people. To be with them, to savor them, and to love them, especially when life feels super big and scary. Isolation has a way of telling us that of all things, we need each other the most." - Adelene Egan ED RN, Boston College Connell School of Nursing Class of 2018 Check out Adelene #facesofthefrontlines photo series: https://addieegan.wixsite.com/mysite

“Back when I was taking classes in epidemiology, it all felt really theoretical. Oftentimes, we were studying illnesses or diseases that affected people historically, or were continuing to affect people in low income countries. It felt disjointed from our reality. Now, it [COVID-19] is happening here; it's happening now; it's happening to me; it's happening to family, friends, and students. It creates a whole new meaning to what I studied - it feels a bit more real now - and I appreciate my training much more. I also appreciate the responsibility to make sure that I'm representing the science well and relaying information clearly so people can make choices that are good for their health.” - Nadia Abuelezam, epidemiologist and Boston College Connell School of Nursing Professor | Read more about Prof. Abuelezam: https://on.bc.edu/NadiaAbuelezam

“The band was completely different in those days. It’s so much more professional now. When I came to BC in 1958 it was a very small band. I would say 35 people. At orientation, they said, ‘Anybody that's interested in the band go over and see the director today.’ So I went over and I said, ‘What's the band all about?’ The director said, ‘Well, what size uniform do you wear?’ I said, ‘42 long,’ and the manager ran off and came back and said ‘Yeah, we’ve got one of those.’ The director said to me, ‘Well, do you have a clarinet?’ and I said yes. And he said, ‘Well bring it and a change of underwear tomorrow cause we’re leaving for West Point and we have a game on Saturday.’ I’ve been part of the band ever since.” - Sam Fardy ’62, member of Boston College Bands for 61 years | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/SamFardy

“It’s beyond an honor to have won. Knowing I was selected as somebody who reflects the ideas Dr. King had is mind-boggling and heartwarming at the same time. It’s a confirmation of my value as someone who is black and can make an impact on country and the world.” - Shakalah Thompson '21, this year's Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship recipient (pictured with her mother, Dionne Reid) | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/ShakalahThompson

“I’ve been competing in triathlons since 2013. Being active and outside have been two of the most important things in my day-to-day life. Coming out of high school in 2016, I spent the summer training about 20-plus hours a week for nationals. I was just working to get faster and back racing after a bike accident the year before. When I chose to attend Boston College, I didn’t expect to choose a school that did not have a triathlon club. Regardless, I knew I needed something that I could be part of a team, be outside, be competitive, and push myself out of my comfort zone. So, when my triathlon coach suggested I try rowing to keep myself busy, I gave it a shot. In the fall of 2016, I walked onto the Boston College Women's Rowing as a coxswain with absolutely zero experience. I was a little scared for what I had signed myself up for and shocked that I was actually willing to jump into something I really had no business doing at the time. "To my surprise, all of this really came together this September when I missed the first week of my senior year to compete in the ITU Triathlon World Championship in Lausanne, Switzerland. Every day for five years, I had dreamed of competing on the world stage. Honestly, there is no feeling like standing on that starting line, knowing that my whole rowing team was supporting me endlessly. The competitive energy and grit I learned from them carried me through my 1.4 miles of swimming, 37.2 miles of biking and 9.3 miles of running between the two races that weekend. "My amazing rowing coach, Grace Hollowell, always says that she needs us to, ‘work really, really hard and to be really, really kind’. Boston College Athletics really focuses on what an athlete can be as a person and not just what they can be as an athlete. For me, that’s made all the difference. My coaches have instilled in us the importance of holding each other accountable, challenging each other and pushing each other to be the best as individuals and as a team.” - Olivia Christmann '20

“Storytelling is a great power because it can make things happen. America inspired me as a young boy. I love and respect America and I believe in its ideals. I want America to understand that there are many people, in Somalia and other parts of the world, who like me simply want to make a good life for themselves—not by lying around doing nothing, but working and contributing to the community.” - Abdi Nor Iftin, Boston College - Woods College of Advancing Studies student, Somali refugee, and memoirist | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/AbdiNorIftin

"I definitely found my voice in Africa. We knew we were going to have to share our stories - they're called testimonials - so I was thought, 'Whatever, we're all going to have to talk.' But by the second day, I was the one leading the group through a Bible study...It was weird because I was never nervous, even though I thought I would be. You hear other people say, 'God's going to tell you what to say.' I felt like He just like spoke through me. And it was so easy because it would be after we had played a soccer game or done some sports games. I can relate it to sports." - Raegan Moore WCAS '20 & Boston College Women's Basketball video coordinator, who traveled to Uganda as part of Managers On A Mission

"The [oyster farm] is new to Plymouth. When I started to put my name on the list I was a junior at Boston College. After I graduated I was the second-to-last person who was going to get a spot...I studied accounting, basic data entry stuff. Initially, I was thinking I could moonlight with the oysters, go into the office and then go home afterward. But then it became my main focus...I knew I didn’t really want to be in an office or a cubicle. I don’t think people are supposed to be inside if they can help it." - Kevin Dory '15, owner of High Tide Oyster & Supply in Plymouth, Mass.

“I consider myself very fortunate to have a professional life that has given me the opportunity to blend my vocation and my avocation at the same time. There’s no doubt that the things I learned from PULSE, the experiences that I had, and the way that PULSE gave you a chance to think and to act, in a very Jesuit kind of way, made all the difference for me. "It was great to see Kathleen get involved in the program and to watch how important and formative it was for her as well. That is really a gift that PULSE gave to her and to me and to literally thousands of others.” - Michael Durkin ’77, CEO and President of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley; pictured with his daughter, Kathleen Durkin '11, SSW’16, STM’16, a social worker, and her son, Aiden | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/Durkins_PULSE Photo Credit: Doug Coombe

“When I became a BC Health Promotion Health Coach, I figured specializing in sleep would be the best way to impact a lot of people. After all, there’s not anybody who doesn’t sleep, and at the same time, there’s almost no one who sleeps an adequate amount every night at Boston College or at any university in the U.S. I tell people that sleep is the foundation of everything because if we’re not sleeping enough, we’re not going to be at our best. We talk a lot about 'setting the world aflame' and being 'men and women for others,' but if we’re tired and irritable and sleeping through all our classes, we’re never going to tackle the huge problems that we have in our society. It takes energy to make the world a better place." - Ryan Carney '21