“I’m naturally a confident person but there are a lot of things I had doubts about. Coming through Boston College - Woods College of Advancing Studies made me more confident in myself, and I learned it’s okay to be successful. I think that was kind of a fear of mine because I didn’t want to move away from who I was; I didn’t want success to change me. Now I see myself as someone who can do what they love, come to a prestigious university and be able to learn. That’s been the biggest blessing for me.” - West Price-Ashby ’19 Watch more of West's journey: https://youtu.be/xNxkRG3ZfYA

“What we say to students and to faculty is when the door closes and your class starts, it’s not MCI-Shirley, it’s Boston College. When I was teaching at the Bard Prison Initiative, I always felt very surprised by how true that was. You closed the door and everything else kind of melted away and suddenly you were in a college classroom. It’s kind of lovely how much it works, because we’re always creating classrooms. At BC especially, this campus is shifting and buildings are going from one thing to another—we’re always creating classrooms.” - Isabel Lane, director of the Boston College Prison Education Program | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/PrisonEdProgram

“Starting a company is like falling from the sky and having to build a plane before you hit the ground. That’s my favorite analogy because it’s so true. You have an idea and a little bit of money from friends and family and some people that believe in you, and you have to build a product, get customers, and build a business before you run out. It’s a whole other level of stress, but having a team full of former athletes who were able to play at the collegiate level at Boston College was a huge advantage for us - we’ve been through very stressful situations and know how to act.” - Sean Flaherty ’12, former Boston College Football player and co-founder of Playeasy.com | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/PlayEasySports

"For me, being healthy means accepting who and where you are now while also having an idea of the things you want to grow or gain in as opposed to move away from or lose. That has been my biggest realization from working as a Health Coach in the BC Health Promotion Office; that instead of wanting to get rid of parts of myself, I want to grow in different areas that will benefit me and the people around me.” - Ally Perrin '20

“I never thought to go to film school. At Boston College, I double majored in music and literature and studied history and philosophy and theology. My senior year I finished my core classes and decided to just explore. I took Film 101 and a photography class and a creative writing workshop, all at the same time. That really ignited my desire to be a filmmaker and a visual storyteller, to bring in my background as a writer and as a musician while getting to work with my friends. I remember being down in the basement of Devlin till like six in the morning just editing and finding music. It was a thrilling way to discover my passion.” - Lulu Wang ’05, writer and director of “The Farewell” Read More: http://on.bc.edu/DramaQueen

"It all started 22 years ago. My niece donated her hair and I thought I could do that too. I used to have red hair and always wore it in a flat top. It takes two years to grow out and after I play Santa - well, I don't 'play;' I take it very seriously - in the Boston College Alumni's Winter Wonderland, I donate it. Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. I can't help monetarily but I can with my time and effort and taking care of my hair. It is nothing spectacular, but it is my way of giving back." - Mark Dalton, BC Grounds Maintenance

“Professor Kathleen Bailey helped me see the Middle East as a place that would intrigue me. I grew up learning about the Middle East in a different context, and honestly in a more unfortunate light, but taking her classes on Middle Eastern politics and learning more about the culture, and then actually going to Beirut, really changed what I’d learned growing up and the narratives that I’d heard on TV. BC gave me the resources to do this really cool trip, to interact with local people, to learn the language and eat the food, and I’m so grateful for that.” - Czar Sepe ’21, who traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, for a six-week language and immersion program thanks to an Aggad Fellowship grant from the Islamic Civilizations and Societies Department

“I’ve been in law enforcement for over 20 years and I’ve been at Boston College for about 10 years now. Seeing those kids walk across the stage, the look on their faces, the pride and the confidence they showed - that was one of the proudest moments I have had since I’ve been here. There were very talented young men and women in that group and, frankly, they set the bar high for future academies that we will hold.” - Lt. Jeffrey Postell (right) on Boston College Police Department's first class of Youth Police Academy cadets | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/BCPDYouthAcad

"Be passionate, be genuine, be hardworking and don’t ever be afraid to be great." - Pete Frates '07, Boston College Baseball captain and champion of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised more than $220 million for ALS research and care Frates lost his heroic and public battle with ALS on Monday. | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/InMemoriamPeteFrates

“The reason we chose to be student-athletes at Boston College is that it gave us the best of both worlds: the ability to challenge ourselves athletically in one of the best conferences in the country while also being surrounded by people who challenge us academically. Going through this experience of starting a company you realize how valuable those four years were on both ends of the spectrum. I went through two losing seasons at BC and it taught me how to lose and still get back up the next day knowing life goes on and you’re going to win the next one. You can’t build that resilience unless you experience it and BC really provided me with the support to build that mental toughness and keep pushing towards the overall goal.” - Kerri Shields ’13, former Boston College Women's Basketball player and co-founder of Playeasy.com | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/PlayEasySports

“We are striving to build authentic partnerships with Anyiko Village families and communities in the hope that in a few years, we will see our children step onto the world stage, and eventually, return to the village to become productive change leaders. We are in dire need of classrooms, books, and education scholarships. Digital learning is still a dream, but despite these challenges, St. Christabel School has given me more than I have given to it. I have found my joy, and that is priceless.” - Zainabu Mohamed, founder of St. Christabel School in Yala Township and a Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development graduate student | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/ZainabuMohamed

"Ever since I was a small Filipino kid running around and exploring in flip flops, life's questions and mystery beckoned and fascinated me. Now, whether it's through breath and movement in boxing, creating and sharing at the restaurant, reading and writing in coffee shops, analyzing linear mixed effects and brain imaging in the lab, listening to and weaving new narratives in the clinic, or teaching and learning in the classrooms: life's answers faintly echo through the tangles of lived experiences. After my dual masters at Boston College, I hope to pursue doctoral studies in the field of neuroscience in order to research, teach, and counsel on how suffering, meaning, and spirituality affect the living person. I'd like to explore deeper the efficacious mystery that gifted me with breath and remind others of the faint echoes of life's eternal question, 'Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?'" - Michael Mookie Cruz Manalili, MTS & MSW candidate in Boston College School of Theology and Ministry & Boston College School of Social Work