“I've worked with a lot of NBA players and Giannis Antetokounmpo has a very unique personality. He has an outward persona that people see: the sense of humor, the joking, but he’s actually a really private person. He doesn't have a huge circle of friends. It’s his mom, his brothers, his fiancée, and his children—that is the circle. It was hard at first, trying to break through and get to the real him, but once you get there, he is one of the smartest, most introspective people I've ever met. I'd ask him a question and he would surprise me with his answer—it was never what I expected him to say.” - Kristen Lappas ’09, the director of the documentary "Giannis: The Marvelous Journey" | READ MORE: bc.edu/bc-web/sites/social/s24/kristinlappas

"In addition to being a Jesuit, people are sometimes surprised to learn that I am also a nurse. I hear things like, 'I didn’t know Jesuits could do that.' Or they ask, 'How does that work?' While it is certainly not a common combination, I find that the two vocations complement one another. I believe that they add integrity to each other when practiced simultaneously." - Adam Bohan, S.J., Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry graduate student | READ MORE in Midwest Jesuits: https://bit.ly/AdamBohanSJ

“I have long wondered how mental health services can be made more culturally competent and relevant for communities, and in my case the Muslim community. I have seen firsthand the demand for mental health support for adults; however, expecting therapy to be the only solution can be limiting and culturally ignorant. “Grief informs my passion for mental health, and my exposure to illness and death contributes to my fervor for pastoral support. As an aspiring hospital chaplain, I hope to use culture and religion to enlighten that way I support people through illness, bereavement, and crisis.” - Hanan Sjah '25, who earned the 2024 Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/HananSjah

"Over the past twenty years, I’ve been working a lot with teachers in Boston schools, teaching them writing theory and how we can apply it to the classroom. And I find that to be the most rewarding because they are teaching children and they want to learn how to do a better job. And they go out and implement what we discuss immediately. They’re not worrying about grades. They’re worrying about teaching kids." - Maria Estela Brisk, Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor Emerita who is a leading expert on language and education | READ MORE in Boston College Magazine: bc.edu/bc-web/sites/social/s24/mariaestelabriskbcm

"To me, Juneteenth commemorates the strength of togetherness. Our leaders overcame the darkest period in American history by reminding each other that they were loved, even when they were hated by the world around them. So in today's trying times, you must always remember 'somebody out there loves you even if it's unknown, or maybe it's untold because...love is like a dove always searching for a home - it won't spread its wings until it knows it's not alone." - Osamase Ekhator ‘17 | WATCH MORE: https://bit.ly/TheExpectedLeaders_Poem

“Coming to Conte as a kid, I would show up to [men's hockey] games and be sitting in the front row with my dad, just waiting for the second intermission when they would play ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ so I could do the air fiddle. I was a very happy energetic kid so seeing the students laughing and cheering for me put a smile on my face. Boston College taught me just to be the creative passionate kid that I was, and I’m really grateful that I had that experience. I hope to bring as much energy to BC when I’m here as a student.” - Danny Gillis, aka the BC Fiddle Kid, who is part of the incoming Class of 2028 | READ MORE: on.bc.edu/FiddleKid

“The idea of pursuing a M.D./Ph.D. in environmental health excites me. I hope to attend an institution that can provide me with the same abundant resources and support as BC has ...While I currently plan to focus my doctoral research on the impact of climate change on brain health and its potential role in the progression of Parkinson’s disease, the specific focus may evolve as the field grows. Post-graduation, I intend to undertake a neurology or psychiatry residency, and engage in environmental health research and advocacy.” - Sancia Sehdev ’25, was selected by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Foundation for the nation's premier undergraduate science award | READ MORE: http://bc.edu/bc-web/sites/social/s24/sanciasehdev

“I was walking across campus with the beekeeper one day and a bunch of students started asking questions. ‘We have a beehive?’ ‘Where is it?’ I don’t think a lot of people know about it so I try to promote it on the sustainability Instagram. Honeybees are very intelligent and mysterious insects. It’s amazing how far they will go to pollinate—as far as five miles one way—so they’ll go as far west as Natick or Framingham and as far east as the public garden and then come right back to the hive on Fulton Hall.” - Bruce Dixon, Boston College's Sustainability Program Manager | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/Sustainability2024

“It all just clicked for me. I went to Catholic schools throughout childhood, so that was a factor. But as I learned more about Boston College, I felt like this was where I needed to be, because it was all about educating the whole person, and challenging you in different ways. I thought BC would have many amazing opportunities that would help me get anywhere I wanted to go and help me discover who I am and what my place in the world could be. And of course, today I know it to be true.”- Thalia Chaves '24, a first-gen graduate; pictured with her parents | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/ResilienceandResolve

“We stand on the shoulders of the people who precede us and who we look up to. That’s the human condition. I stand here because of Jimmy Nederlander Sr. How do I want to pay things forward? The lights are going to go out someday. How do you want to have spent your time?” - Nick Scandalios ’87, a Carroll School of Management at BC graduate who is now the Executive Vice President at Nederlander Producing Company, which owns more than 30 venues and produces Broadway shows | READ MORE about his journey: bc.edu/bc-web/sites/social/s24/nickscandalios

"[The fight for equal education and affordable housing in the Latino community is] a battle that transcends generations, a struggle that echoes the voices of those who came before us, and of those who follow. We must stand in solidarity and continue to fight for the rights of the marginalized and voiceless among us. The journey may be long, but it is a journey worth undertaking, and one that I’m grateful to have started." - Melanie Paredes ’25, the 2024 Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship recipient | READ MORE: bc.edu/bc-web/sites/social/s24/melanieparedes

“I didn't buy the suit senior year and go on job interviews like everyone encourages you to. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Some friends from college were coming out to Nantucket for the summer and I said, ‘Great idea. I'm in.’ They didn't have dock positions open, so I took a job in the office. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew that it would be a fun summer…and then I literally never left, and I never worked anywhere else.” - Christina Martin ’93, the Director of Marina Operations at the Nantucket Boat Basin, where she's worked for 30 years | READ MORE: bc.edu/bc-web/sites/social/s24/christinamartin