“I was fascinated by human behavior and the variations that you can have. I could not learn enough.” - Boston College Connell School of Nursing Professor Ann Burgess, a pioneer in many fields and an inspiration for Netflix's MINDHUNTER | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/Mastermind

“I went to Nepal for the first time after my first year at medical school. It was just by chance that it all worked out and fell into place. It was such an awesome opportunity, and it made me realize why I was going to medical school and why I actually started the degree. You get so wrapped up in studying medicine, especially in the beginning because there’s just so much science and it’s overwhelming, but you have to remember the human aspect. That’s why I studied philosophy at BC, to understand why we end up doing the things that we do. Going to Nepal renewed that for me.” - Joseph Rizzuto ’15 on volunteering in Nepal | Learn more about his experiences and work: https://on.bc.edu/Rizzuto

“I was an English major at Boston College and at the end of my sophomore year I thought to myself, I need to figure out what I’m going to do with this major. So I applied for internships and a tv station got back to me, so I took it, and I loved it. It was so exciting to me. I couldn’t believe that I could have a front row seat to everything that was going on. Last fall, I interviewed [Boston Red Sox] pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, and then the next night during a marathon game he pitched six innings [in relief]. I’m on my couch watching him and he did a fantastic job and I’m like, ‘I just talked to that guy the other day, that’s crazy.’ “- Jennifer Eagan '06, WCVB Channel 5 Boston reporter & anchor More on six broadcasters in Boston using their BC liberal arts degrees: http://fal.cn/32HZm

"I never thought I would get an undergraduate degree from Boston College, and now I am getting a master's degree? It’s an accomplishment I never thought I could get. It was more for myself to say 'yes, I can do it.' I had a teacher in high school that told me 'you won't amount to anything, go into the service.' I wanted to get this degree to prove to myself that I am better than I thought I was.” - Kenneth Coleman '15, '19, BC Assistant Manager of Custodial Services, on completing his master's degree from Boston College - Woods College of Advancing Studies in three years despite suffering a heart attack in 2017 | Read More: https://on.bc.edu/KennethColeman

“As a nursing student, theology and philosophy can seem abstract. You already know what you are going to do after graduation and you wonder how they’re going to play a role in that. But after some reflection, I realized that’s kind of an arrogant thought. Now, I realize theology is something that frames my whole nursing career. [Troxell] spoke about the ‘Five Faces of Oppression’ and about all of these things that are so important when we care for patients. It’s not always going to be beautiful hospitals with VIP patients. There are going to be patients who come in really broken, who’ve had it rough.” - Maria Meyer '19 graduated from the Boston College Connell School of Nursing and earned the 2019 Finnegan Award | Learn More: https://on.bc.edu/Meyer

“I went into Boston College totally undecided in the sense that I had too many interests and didn’t know how to whittle them down. I took a lot of identity politics classes and gender studies classes and classes about socioeconomic status, and that ability to analyze people and think critically helps me in my job every day. I’ve worked in rural northern Maine and I’ve worked in Boston - two very different places in terms of people. Having that kind of background knowledge has helped me empathize with people and get to know them and understand where they’re coming from, which is essential to telling stories.”- Kristina Rex ’15, General Assignment Reporter for WBZ | CBS Boston More on six broadcasters in Boston using their BC liberal arts degrees: https://on.bc.edu/EaglesReportingLive

"I think the Portico and Perspectives classes freshman year did a great job of introducing me to the idea of reflection and the Examen. Over the last four years I was able to discover what part of that I liked and what I could apply. Especially in the college environment, you are around so many people - thousands of our best friends. It’s constant. There’s a lot going on, and a lot of moving parts. I’m not sure I realized it when I decided to attend BC, but having such a strong core that emphasizes taking the time to think and evaluate has been very important to me." - Branick Weix '19 | Learn More: https://on.bc.edu/BranickWeix

"Never be afraid to admit to yourself that you aren’t fully satisfied with what you’re doing, both personally and academically, and do your best to figure out why. Boston College is a big place with lots of opportunities, so if you feel something else pulling you away from the path you thought you would take, at least acknowledge that feeling and see where it leads. Sometimes it’s a dead end, but it could also be a path you’ll become excited to pursue." - Annie Haws '19's advice to incoming BC students | Learn More: https://on.bc.edu/AnnieHaws

"It took me seven years to save up enough money to start on this journey. In 2014, I quit my job at a bank in St. Lucia and came to Boston. I’m the first person in my family to go to college, so it was daunting and scary but also exciting. My fear of failing was something that almost impeded my ability to just step out and do it, but a family member told me ‘If you want something bad enough, you will do whatever is necessary to make it happen.’ These words resonated with me. In the last sentence of my application letter I wrote that, ‘I see the Boston College - Woods College of Advancing Studies as a place where I will be valued not just as a student but as a person.’ At the time, it was just a hope, but that hope ended up being a literal manifestation of my experience here. All of it came to fruition during my time at Woods." - Gawain Dornelly '19 | Learn More: https://on.bc.edu/GawainDornelly

"Boston College has been a transformative experience. Where I grew up, opportunities like the ones available at BC were few and far between, specifically, to meaningfully engage in service. When I was in high school, service was little more than a bullet point you’d add to your resume. My BC experiences have completely transformed this definition into one that is no longer self-serving, but instead reciprocal. I’m grateful to BC for creating an environment in which everyone on campus, both students and staff, find joy and fulfillment in responding to social injustice and standing in solidarity with people who are marginalized. This is a lesson I will take with me wherever I go." - Natalee Deaette '19 | Learn More: https://on.bc.edu/NataleeDeaette