"I wouldn’t have it any other way than to work with anyone but college swimmers right now. Boston College has tradition, the atmosphere, and the environment to build a great program...I’ve had many trials and tribulations in my life, but it’s about how you learn from them, put them in the rearview mirror, and move forward. I thrive on challenges and it will be a challenge to bring fun back into the program. I want to give [the swimmers] confidence and help our athletes reach their full potential. But fun is important. Some describe competitive swimming as ‘swimming the black line’ at the bottom of the pool during your hours of training. It can get monotonous. So I want to get these student-athletes back to having fun. I want to help them as their coach and share my passion for swimming and competing. This is a chance to really give back to back to the sport." - Dara Torres, five-time Olympian, 12-time medalist, and first-year BC Swim Coach | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/DaraTorres

“The U.S. Olympic Trials event was eight days long and one of the most intense regattas I have ever competed in. Each day I woke up, I knew it was going to be a battle on the racecourse and every point was going to count in the end. When I crossed the finish line in the final race, a ton of emotions came over me. This has been a goal I've been working towards for the last 15 years. Earning the berth to represent the United States of America at the Olympics is a dream come true.” - Erika Reineke ’17, who will be competing in the women’s dinghy race at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/ErikaReineke Photo Credit: Allison Chenard, US Sailing Team

“I remember when nobody knew or understood what ALS was. Then all of a sudden, Pete Frates comes out with the Ice Bucket Challenge with Pat Quinn [a friend of Frates who had also been diagnosed with ALS] and now everyone in the world knows what ALS is. "It’s incredible...[Boston College] is a really special place full of special people, and what they say is true: It’s a place of men and women for others. I think that’s what I’m going to take with me from my time at Boston College.” - John West '24, the Boston College Baseball pitcher who was named captain of the inaugural Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/JohnWest -- Pictured with Paula and Jim Duhamel, whom West presented a state-of-the-art, motorized BC-branded wheelchair before BC's Annual ALS Awareness Game Photo Credit: Meg Kelly

“I am honored to receive the Marko Jarić Award. In some ways, this award completes a full circle in my professional life. I left Serbia after high school, as a student who aspired to become a scientist. Twenty years later, I am recognized for my accomplishments as a physicist in my native country. I am happy to see that my research ‘crossed’ borders and has been noticed by my colleagues in Serbia. Although his career was cut short by illness, Professor Jarić made a number of impactful scientific contributions. The award I received was created more than 25 years ago in memory of his accomplishments, and also to recognize accomplishments of physicists in Serbia and physicists of Serbian descent abroad. Although it can be given for all areas of physics, my experimental research direction in condensed matter physics is coincidentally closely aligned with some of the topics Professor Jarić explored theoretically.” - Ilija Zeljkovic, Physics Professor honored with Serbia's Marko Jarić Award, often referred to as the “Serbian Nobel for Physics,” for his research into novel materials. | READ MORE: http://bc.edu/bc-web/sites/social/s24/ilijazeljkovic_serbiannobel

"'The best science comes from those who are fundamentally curious.' - Dr. Angelika Amon, Geneticist "In my first months walking through Boston, I came across this quote more times than I can count. Each time I saw it, it strongly resonated inside me, creating an increased sense of certainty regarding the importance of pursuing social research, even when everything seemed lost. "Retrospectively, I realized that this quote resonated with the child within me – or at least, the memories I had of myself in years past. The researcher I always have had inside: that playful being who eagerly wants to know and experience what the world has to offer. "Over the years, I have understood that innovative, critical, and societally engaged research is one of my passions. I am fortunate to work in something that fills me with happiness and moves me to continue growing. Being at Boston College's Schiller Institute has taught me different ways research is conducted, leading me to consider the constant situatedness of knowledge production and the importance of doing something that impacts people, organizations, and society. There is no doubt that Boston College has pushed me to be bolder and remain curious in this never-ending path of being a researcher." - Javiera Garcia-Meneses, Senior Research Fellow at the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society

“I am so grateful for the formation I received at Boston College. These wonderful Jesuits celebrate your success as theirs at every juncture. It was a joy and gave me a sense of belonging.” - Marcel Uwineza, S.J., S.T.L. '15, Ph.D. '20, a Boston College graduate and survivor of the genocide in Rwanda | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/MarcelUwineza

"Solving the national homelessness and affordable housing crisis is a moral imperative and one of the greatest challenges facing our generation. That’s what led me to write a Boston College Law Review note on the topic. Law reviews are one of the places we get to collectively imagine what the law can be. No other profession or area of academia allows students to be so directly involved in shaping its future. That is a wonderful thing and a real privilege." -Jonathan Bertulis-Fernandes ’24, a Boston College Law School graduate | READ MORE: bc.edu/bc-web/sites/social/s24/jonathanbertulis-fernandesbclm

“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