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A Culinary World
BCDS chef participates in professional development program with a global flavor
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International Focus
BC students earn fellowships for study abroad
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Parallel Letters
Shrayer’s new poetry collection showcases unique approach to creating literary texts
‘Fly
Richardson encourages graduates to take on the role of superheroes and tackle global crises
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Carnegie Corporation of New York President Dame Louise Richardson, an accomplished higher education leader who now heads an internationally respected philanthropic institution, told the Boston College Class of 2025 that college graduates are akin to superheroes—and they should fully embrace the resemblance.
“You look resplendent in your brightly colored maroon and gold robes, rather like superheroes with capes,” said Richardson, early on in her address at BC’s 149th Commencement Exercises on May 19. “In a sense, this is not an idle comparison. In every
graduating class, young people, carrying only a diploma and a strong moral compass, need to fly out of these gates of the college and save the world.
“I mean it,” she added.
“Only with your skills, your intelligence,
Pope, a Committed Teacher and Mentor, Receives Bellarmine Award
BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
Professor of Theology Stephen Pope is highly regarded for his commitment to undergraduate teaching and mentoring, as well as his scholarship in Catholic social teaching and ethics which brings theology as a discipline into conversation with contemporary culture. His nearly four decades of contributions to the University have earned him this year’s Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., Award.
Presented at Commencement by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., the award recognizes a distinguished faculty member whose significant contributions have consistently and purposefully advanced the mission of Boston College. It is named for Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., an Italian cardinal and one of the leading
figures in the Counter-Reformation.
Respected by his peers, Pope has held leadership positions in his department including service as chair, director of undergraduate studies, and as a member of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Educational Policy Committee. He also served on the Morrissey College Core Renewal Committee.
“Steve has been a great contributor to core renewal,” said Morrissey College Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. “He has taught an Enduring Question class, God and the Good Life, four times, and a Complex Problem class, Faith, Ethics, and the Sciences in the 21st Century, twice. These courses have been exemplars for what we are hoping for from first-year core courses that introduce students to authentically enduring human questions and complex
your diligent and patient work, will the people of the future gain life-saving medical treatments, brilliantly-designed buildings, new tools for living better and more fruitful lives, the chance of a just hearing in the law courts, and stories that tell the truth about our times.”
In addition to Richardson, who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, the University presented honorary degrees to: educator and social activist Geoffrey Canada; Salim Daccache, S.J., rector of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon; historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin;
and Archbishop of Boston Richard Henning. [Read the degree citations on page 4]
In his Commencement greeting, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., said the day provided an occasion for “all of us to recall and give thanks for particular people, special moments, and gifts received, of friendships, experiences, and conversations that were life giving and affirming.”
Fr. Leahy offered his traditional acknowledgement not only for the graduates and their accomplishments, but the parents, spouses, family, and friends who provided them with support and encouragement. He also recognized the contributions of BC faculty and staff, as well as alumni, friends, and benefactors to the achievements of the 4,512-strong Class of 2025.
“Our intent as a University community is that those receiving degrees today leave campus with at least the beginnings of how to respond to current opportunities and
on page 6
Cho Grateful for Those Who Inspired Her to ‘Dream Big’
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Characterized by instructors and advisors as possessing an unyielding thirst for knowledge, with a health care vocation grounded in both science and empathy, Hayoung Cho is the recipient of the 2025 Edward H. Finnegan, S.J., Award as the graduating senior who best exemplifies Boston College’s motto, “Ever to Excel.”
The Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences grad and South Korean native was presented with the honor by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., at Commencement Exercises on Monday.
“I am tremendously fortunate and blessed to have been selected for this award,” said Cho in a recent interview.
“The moment I found out I was nominated, I immediately thought of everyone who contributed to my miraculous journey at Boston College. The award symbolizes the countless moments of support and encouragement from my parents, mentors, and peers, who inspired me to dream big. I am incredibly lucky and humbled by the honor and will cherish it for a lifetime.”
A double major in Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) and chemistry who earned a remarkable 163 credits while maintaining a nearly perfect 4.0 GPA, Cho is a member of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program and part of BC’s first cohort of HCE graduates.
“Hayoung embodies cura personalis in all she does,” said Morrissey College As-
Dining Services chef participates in innovative culinary leadership program with a global flavor
BY AUDREY LOYACK STAFF WRITER
Boston College Dining Services Executive Chef Phyllis Kaplowitz is one of 21 chefs in the country chosen by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and Hormel Foods to participate in the rigorous, highly selective, yearlong Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program.
Designed solely for professionals by the CIA, the Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program is the only professional development initiative that provides specialized advanced culinary leadership training tailored for both commercial and noncommercial chefs. The program consists of three-day modules that take place over the course of a year. At the program’s end, participants receive a certificate of completion and become members of the Hormel Circle of Innovation, an elite networking group of chefs. They will also receive continuing education materials.
Last month, Kaplowitz—who along with the 20 other chefs was selected from a competitive pool of over 400 applicants— travelled to Napa, Calif., for the program’s first module. Over the course of three days, the chefs explored principles of global flavors, geographical influence on taste profiles, and culinary culture and tradition. The group also studied Caribbean, Indian,
photo by caitlin cunningham
Korean, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asian, and Japanese ingredients and cooking techniques.
“The first module was such an incredible experience,” said Kaplowitz. “A lot of it was about global flavors, the principles and depth of examining taste profiles, and how it shapes your geography, which is near and dear to my heart since over the past couple of years, I have worked with different student groups all across campus to create culinary pop-ups in our dining halls.”
Boston College students have once again demonstrated what it means to be men and women for others, say Boston College Dining Services administrators.
As they did last year, undergraduates donated their unused meal plan funds, via BCDS, to support St. Francis House in Boston, the largest day shelter in Massachusetts.
The result of their generosity yielded the purchase of more than 6,680 pounds of food, which will feed more than 7,600 guests experiencing homelessness during combined breakfast and lunch services.
The initiative funded the May 9 delivery of some 290 crates containing rolled buckeye oats, cheese omelets, whole grain waffles, breakfast sausage, chicken thighs and “drummies.” BCDS was joined in
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn
SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Patricia Delaney
EDITOR Sean Smith
the effort by Office of Governmental and Community Affairs Vice President Thomas Keady, who assisted in the delivery.
“A donation like this is so significant for us, especially at a time when food prices are rising and federal funding is shrinking,” said Linda Curtin, marketing and communications lead at St. Francis House. “It literally makes it possible for us to provide thousands of meals to people who need them most. We’re so grateful to Boston College.”
“We were once again fortunate to support St. Francis House through funds donated from student meal plans,” said Megan O’Neill, Auxiliary Services director of auxiliary finance, systems and procurement.
“Despite rising food costs, our buying power allowed us to purchase even more food for them than last year. As both an alum
CONTRIBUTING STAFF Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Audrey Loyack Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini
Kaplowitz and her fellow participants were broken up into groups and engaged in hands-on preparation, first with a Mediterranean focus and then the following day for a “market basket challenge” with Mexican flavors where her team made a fusion-style pub menu.
The participants also had an opportunity to explore the region’s farm-to-table resources and captured a glimpse of the appreciation for naturally grown and sourced ingredients, and what it takes to create something delicious.
“We went to an almost 100 percent sustainable farm—everything is literally farm to table,” she said. “They have their own restaurant, their own winery, their own olive oil production. They raise their own cattle. There is responsibility and appreciation for what it takes to create a food. You know, sometimes I think we can forget that.”
Since returning to campus, Kaplowitz has incorporated her learnings and takeaways into her everyday job. Some of the hands-on production of global flavors from Napa may even influence a new pop-up in one of the campus’ dining halls next academic year, she said.
As she continues her journey through the Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program, Kaplowitz is poised to make a lasting impact on the campus dining scene, inspiring others to explore the diverse spectrum of global flavors.
“Phyllis has been a great leader in global flavors and even plant-based eating,” said Director of Dining Services Beth Emery. “She has done so much for our team, par-
and a staff member, I am proud to be part of the BC community and contribute to the ethos of ‘men and women for others!’”
Since its founding in 1984, St. Francis House, located on Boylston Street in
ticularly this past year. Last January, we conducted research with the Asian Caucus group and other students to get a list of their favorite local foods and which restaurants they prefer to get them from. Phyllis and our team went to those restaurants, tried the food, observed the programming, and came back and tested some new recipes and the students’ liking of them.
“Through efforts like this, in combination with the innovation program, hopefully we may have five or 10 new items that we could be rolling out in the next year or two.”
Finding ways to make BC dining more creative is one of the hopes Kaplowitz has for the program, and the networking opportunities with some of the country’s outstanding chefs offer great potential, she said. Looking forward to the remaining two modules and the next academic year at BC, Kaplowitz is focused on innovating and bringing new culinary ideas to life. The dining team’s top priority is enhancing the quality of popular menu items—some of which have been staples for years—by updating them for better flavor, health benefits, or improved ingredients, she said.
In October, Kaplowitz will travel to San Antonio for module two, where she and her team will turn their global flavor insights into actionable concepts they have been developing since April. The program will conclude next spring at the CIA’s main campus in Hyde Park, NY, where participants will study culinary health and wellness, with an emphasis on protein-powered and plantforward culinary strategies.
the heart of downtown Boston, has had a deep connection to BC, particularly through the University’s PULSE Program and other student placements.
—Rosanne Pellegrini
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Boston College students earned prestigious fellowships for study abroad during the 2024-2025 academic year, noted the University’s Office of Global Education in a recent report.
Four Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates were selected to receive Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) that will enable them to study languages of critical need this summer: Ethan Erickson ’26, Arabic (Advanced); Luke Shimizu ’26, Japanese (Advanced); Connor O’Brien ’28, Turkish (Advanced Beginning); and Caroline Serenyi ’28, Arabic (Advanced Beginning).
The CLS Program, which is sponsored and overseen by the United States Department of State, partners with universities and nonprofits around the globe to provide cohorts of U.S. students an opportunity to study the language and culture in a country/location where the target language is commonly spoken. Most languages offered by the CLS Program do not require applicants to have any experience studying critical languages. CLS scholars are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future careers.
Six students were awarded a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship for the 2024-2025 academic year: Rebecca Atkins ’26, MCAS; Elleen Kim ’26, MCAS; Nicole Carrara ’26, MCAS; Oumou Diallo ’26, CSON; Cailin Templeman ’26, MCAS; and Mohamed Bullo ’26, MCAS.
An additional five received scholarship awards for study this summer: Seline Schafer ’27, MCAS; Mohamed Dirar ’27, MCAS; Leo King ’28, MCAS; Imani Safari ’26, MCAS; and Doha Boukri ’26, Carroll School of Management. Among the countries of destination for BC’s Gilman Scholars: Ireland, Ghana, Croatia, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Portugal.
The program, an initiative of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs, enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills essential to American national security and economic prosperity.
Morrissey College rising sophomores Leo King and Caroline Serenyi, along with 2022 alumna Isabella Wellinghorst, were awarded Summer Arabic Language and Media (SALAM) scholarships for study in the Sultanate of Oman. The intensive Arabic language program, sponsored and hosted by the Sultan Qaboos College for Teaching Arabic Language to Non-native Speakers, enables students to gain a deeper knowledge of Arabic while becoming familiar with Omani history and culture.
Office of Global Education administrators noted that some BC students selected for Gilman and CLS scholarships declined them due to other commitments, or because they received multiple awards and plan to submit applications again in the future.
In addition, undergraduates received fellowships from programs established through gifts to the University. Morrissey College students Connor O’Brien ’28 and Caroline Serenyi ’28 will conduct summer research projects in, respectively, Tajikistan and Morocco via Omar A. Aggad Travel and Research Fellowships. The Mizna Fellowship Program will support summer research for the Jesuit Refugee Service in Jordan by Leo King ’28 (MCAS) and Maia Choe ’28 of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.
Ninety-four students—including 37 for this summer—received McGillycuddyLogue Travel and Research Grants. Five undergraduates studied in Asia during the past fall or spring with the support of the Fung Scholars Program; another 11 earned FSP grants for this summer and eight others for next fall.
—University Communications
Construction on Hammond Pond Parkway, which serves as a link to many communities south and west of Boston College—and is the location for several University offices and buildings—continues this spring and through the summer, according to Tom Akins, a civil engineer at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The two-year, $11.3-million project began in December 2023. Undertaken with support from the Healey administration and the City of Newton, the design—characterized as a “complete streets” approach—aims to enhance safety and accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles between Beacon Street and Route 9, particularly to the Hammond Pond Reservation and the Webster Conservation Area.
BC Scenes Moving Experience
Earlier this month, the Holy Family sculpture was reinstalled on Brighton Campus, after having been removed last fall to repair damage caused by carpenter ant infestation. Ken Packie (right), who created the piece, was on hand for the occasion.
“Bridge work is expected to start in a few weeks,” said Akins, referring to repairs to the road surface over the MBTA Green Line D branch. “The plan is to maintain traffic in both directions as much as possible; however, night detours may be necessary.”
Projected summer activities include roadside plantings; installation of new traffic signals at Beacon Street; powering streetlights; and paving and striping after the bridge repair is completed. Completion of the overall project is anticipated in September.
During this construction period, BC commuters using the parkway should expect delays and periodic detours and are encouraged to use alternate routes to the main campus.
—Phil Gloudemans
Nancy Gaden, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Boston Medical Center (BMC), is the recipient of the Connell School of Nursing’s 2025 Dean Rita P. Kelleher Award. Named after the school’s first faculty member and former dean, the Kelleher Award recognizes a graduate of the Connell School who embodies the BC nurse: an accomplished nurse leader, an ethically aware scientist, and inquisitive clinician.
The award was presented to Gaden on May 18 during CSON’s annual Graduate Hooding and Pinning Ceremony on Bapst Library Lawn.
Gaden earned a master of science degree in nursing from the Connell School in 1987. At BMC, she played a key role in the clinical planning and execution of merging two campuses and led BMC to its first Magnet designation in 2021. She previously was a chief nursing officer at Hallmark Health System and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, among other places.
Gaden’s other honors include the American Nurses Association Massachusetts President’s Award (2018), the New England Organization of Nurse Leaders’ Excellence in Leadership Award (2019), and a DAISY Award for Lifetime Achievement (2020). She also has been a recipient of an Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare Award from The Commonwealth Institute. A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she holds a doctor of nursing practice degree from Regis College.
To learn more about the tradition of the Kelleher Award, visit www.bc.edu/kelleher.
—University Communications
As a scholar, academic administrator, and philanthropic leader, Dame Louise Richardson has set many precedents in her life and career. She was first in her family to attend college and the first female to lead the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Oxford University in England. In January 2023, she became the first woman to serve as president of the Carnegie Corporation, one of America’s oldest and most prestigious philanthropic foundations, which promotes democracy, education, and peace initiatives across the globe. During her tenure, the Carnegie Corporation has funded innovative proposals fostering international peace and security, democracy in the United States, and education, including initiatives in literacy, urban school reform, and teacher preparation. A political scientist who received a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University, she has conducted research and written extensively about international terrorism and foreign policy, advocating interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the political roots of extremism as an alternative to military-led responses. In her institutional roles, she drew praise for defending freedom of speech, advancing racial equality, and recruiting students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In recognition of her commitment to education, peace, and political discourse, Boston College proudly awards Dame Louise Richardson the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
Named archbishop of Boston by Pope Francis in August of 2024, the Most Reverend Richard G. Henning leads an archdiocese that includes approximately 1.8 million Catholics and 250 parishes. Prior to coming to Boston, he served as the bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, and as an auxiliary bishop in Rockville Centre, New York, which includes his hometown. The son of a firefighter and nurse whose service he credits for inspiring his vocation, he received his training for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York, and was ordained in 1992. He received a doctorate in biblical theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome in 2007. Fluent in Spanish and Italian, he is active in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, both on the Doctrine Committee and the Sub-
backgrounds and both Christian and Muslim faith traditions, he has led effectively through a period of great instability, including war, financial crisis, and the deadly 2020 port explosion in Beirut that left hundreds dead and damaged the university’s five campuses. A native of Lebanon, he speaks Arabic, English, French, and Italian and serves as director of the Lebanese Association of Friendship and Islamic-Christian Dialogue. He holds a Ph.D. in literature and philosophy from PanthéonSorbonne University in Paris, and a Ph.D. in educational sciences from the University of Strasbourg. For his extraordinary service to Jesuit higher education, he was awarded the St. Peter Canisius Medal in 2022 by the International Association of Jesuit Universities. In recognition of his dedication to the Society of Jesus and steadfast commitment to education and interreligious dialogue, Boston College bestows on Salim G. Daccache, S.J., the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
committee for the Church in Latin America, and as the chair of the Subcommittee for the Translation of the Sacred Scriptures. He is also known for his work with international priests in the United States. In recognition of his ministry and leadership in the Church, Boston College confers on Richard G. Henning the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.
World-renowned historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin has brought American history to life for generations, often through a focus on the American presidency. Her New York Times best-selling biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson have deepened understanding of their distinctive contributions and factors that shaped our nation. She has further animated her subjects and fostered appreciation of American history and culture through several documentary miniseries. A forthcoming feature film will be based on her recent award-winning volume An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History
of the 1960s, drawn from materials collected by her late husband concerning that turbulent decade. During her distinguished career, she has received such prestigious awards as the inaugural American History Book Prize from the New York Historical Society and the Gold Medal for Biography from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is frequently called upon by the news media, educational institutions, and government agencies to provide historical context and insights regarding leadership and contemporary issues. For her lasting contributions to the United States and its history, Boston College proudly presents Doris Kearns Goodwin the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
As head of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, the only Jesuit institution of higher education in the Arab world, Salim Daccache, S.J., has sought to enhance interreligious understanding and dialogue as a Jesuit priest and educator. Serving at a school founded in 1875 and enrolling 12,000 students from all
Throughout his life, Geoffrey Canada has been energized by a deep desire to help youth from under-resourced communities thrive and succeed through education and mentoring. As the founder and board president of the Harlem Children’s Zone, a network of programs focused on increasing graduation rates among at-risk students in New York City, he developed a national model for fighting intergenerational poverty. Born in a South Bronx neighborhood suffering from poverty, crime, and violence, he benefited from his mother’s focus on education and her decision to send him to live with her parents on Long Island for high school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Bowdoin College, and later a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2011 he was named by Time magazine as one of the world’s most influential people, and in 2014 as one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune. A gifted writer, he has won praise for his two books on the experiences of young males in urban America. For his lifelong contributions to the education of youth, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and for promoting social and economic mobility, Boston College awards Geoffrey Canada the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa.
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sociate Dean Thomas Mogan. “Whether advocating for Alzheimer’s policy reform with local legislators, mentoring peers, or engaging in BC’s community life with humility and quiet determination, she is a woman of integrity, thoughtfulness, and purpose. She is a scholar and servant leader of extraordinary promise, and an excellent role model for all BC students who strive to live lives of meaning and purpose.”
Cho’s outstanding academic rigor has earned her recognition as a Sophomore Scholar, Dean’s Scholar, and induction into honor societies Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Sigma Nu, and Iota Sigma Pi. She is a semi-finalist for a Fulbright Research Grant to continue her biomedical research with Massachusetts General Hospital in Ghana.
As a researcher, Cho has undertaken several projects with real-world impact. In partnership with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and institutions in Ethiopia, she tackled global health challenges, developed neonatal nutrition monitoring systems, and traveled to the East African country to train local medical staff.
Under the guidance of Mass General Hospital, Cho assisted in the development of biosensor technologies and published results from a cancer research project in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Biotechnology. While at the University of Oxford, she contributed to pioneering work on microbubble technology—an innovative field that involves the creation and application of tiny, gas-filled bubbles—in lung surfactants, which line the inner surface of the organ’s air sacs.
According to Mogan, “her sustained engagement in biomedical science and engineering reflects an impressive maturity, vision, and desire to serve others through the integration of knowledge and compassion.”
Lily Fleming
A co-founder and president of BC’s Engineers Without Borders chapter, Cho led a multi-year, interdisciplinary initiative to provide clean water access to a Tanzanian village, spearheading the engineering design and fundraising efforts, and forming global partnerships that called for solidarity and global justice. Her leadership at the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society and the SSC Venture Studio—an arm of a BC alumni-managed venture fund that provides resources and support for students to launch and grow their startups—along with her work as a teaching assistant for several courses, further reflected her passion for community building and mentoring.
Cho’s desire to serve also encompasses Boston’s most vulnerable populations. Extending her PULSE service commitment to over three years, she volunteered at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and Mass General Brigham, exempli-
“Learning about the critical issues in the environment, health, and energy, I now aspire to serve the world’s evolving needs as a responsible global citizen and physician-scientist.”
—Hayoung Cho
to be accepted into a closely knit community and to collaborate across disciplines to solve real-world problems. Learning about the critical issues in the environment, health, and energy, I now aspire to serve the world’s evolving needs as a responsible global citizen and physician-scientist.”
Lynch School of Education and Human Development
Majors: Elementary Education; Perspectives on Spanish America; Transformative Educational Studies
Activities: Lynch School Education Policy Council; peer mentor, Experience, Reflection, Action First-Year Program; McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program; La Escuela Carlos Aguilar (Ecuador) volunteer; Design for ImpACCt Initiative; Restorative Justice and Prison Reform (Australia)
fying the Jesuit mission of being “men and women for others.”
“Growing up, I vividly remember seeing my family give back to their communities,” said Cho. “They showed me how to freely love another, do good work in the community, and acknowledge our blessings. My desire to give back blossomed when I came to BC. As I served patients at the St. Francis House Foot Clinic and worked with students and professionals to implement a borehole project in Mkutani, Tanzania, I was reminded of the love that I received and the impact that care and respect can have. Serving others and applying my education to real-world challenges felt like a natural fulfilment of cura personalis.”
From the moment she stepped off the plane in Boston, Cho recalled, she was resolved to become the best version of herself.
“I wanted to welcome every challenge as an opportunity to learn, find joy in life’s small moments, and live each day with intention,” she said. “As a member of the HCE major’s inaugural class, I was thrilled
A look at the 2025 Finnegan Award finalists, all of whom distinguished themselves through outstanding achievement inside and outside of the classroom, and their valuable contributions to the University and wider community.
Christopher Carrabes
Carroll School of Management
Majors: Management and philosophy
Activities: Student Executive Board, Edmund Shea Center for Entrepreneurship; Fulton Leadership Society; teaching assistant, Carroll School Business Law Department
She credits her BC mentors for their guidance along the way, including Danielle Taghian, a professor of the practice in biology; Kathleen Bailey, professor of the practice in political science and director of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program; Glenn R. Gaudette, the John W. Kozarich ’71 Chair of the Department of Engineering; Kenneth R. Metz, a professor of the practice in chemistry; Lorenzo Alexander L. Puente, a professor of the practice in English; and Hakho Lee, a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School, and director of the Biomedical Engineering Program at the Center for Systems Biology at Mass General Hospital. One advisor, however, particularly stood out.
“[Ferrante Family Assistant] Professor Bryan Ranger has been my greatest role model, a true superstar whom I looked up to every day,” said Cho of Ranger, an Engineering faculty member. “I’m so grateful to have met and researched with him since my first year.”
Cho said her four years at BC—a blend of rigorous learning and a caring community—have left an indelible impression on her.
“Through every obstacle, I felt unwavering support from everyone around me. They inspired me to strive higher and gave me a profound sense of purpose in my life. BC has provided me opportunities to shape not just my skills, but transform my heart, mind, and soul in ways that have given me a clear direction and fiery passion.”
Julie Canuto-Depina Connell School of Nursing Major: Nursing
Activities: Montserrat Coalition Student Ambassador; Thea Bowman AHANA Intercultural Center student ambassador; Cape Verdean Student Association; Black Excellence Gala Committee; Undergraduate Government of Boston College class representative; Women’s Training Center Bystander program; CSON Senate; Emerging Leader Program; McNair Exploratory Program; Jamaica Magis Service Immersion Trip; Cura Series, Civil Rights Immersion Trip
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challenges, and also the necessary curiosity, tenacity, and abiding hope to do so,” he said.
Fr. Leahy noted the distinctive nature of the University’s Jesuit, Catholic heritage and its centrality to the education of BC students. “Our hope is that [they] will continue integrating beliefs and action, and reflecting on experience as a guide to life. We encourage them to take responsibility for their own spiritual and religious journey, drawing from the faith experiences they had while at BC.” He added that the graduates should “approach life as a vocation or calling, not merely a career.”
Richardson—whose career includes pathbreaking stints as first female vice chancellor at Oxford University and first woman principal and vice-chancellor of Scotland’s University of St. Andrews, in addition to being the first female head of the Carnegie Corporation—touched on the manifold issues and concerns confronting humanity, notably climate change, socioeconomic inequality, and threats to democratic rules and norms. Fortunately, she told the graduates, the education they had received has prepared them well to confront such challenges.
“You have the courage and the intelligence to regard debate as a strength, and accurate, research-based argument as a superpower. You are equipped to distinguish the truth and the light and to fight for what’s right.”
Richardson noted that May 19—the date of this year’s Commencement—is the anniversary of the publication of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “Letter from a Bir-
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contemporary problems.”
“I have been truly living the dream for decades,” said Pope. “I have been blessed with many brilliant and accomplished colleagues from whom I am always learning. The administration’s support for the discipline of theology as well as the life of faith stands out in a time when many Catholic universities are cutting back on theology and the other humanities.
“I have always felt at home with the Jesuit tradition’s way of rooting the study of theology in both spirituality and service,” added the Jesuit-educated scholar, who graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, Calif., and Gonzaga University. “I went to graduate school [University of Chicago] with the hope that I might be able to get a job teaching theology and ethics at a Jesuit institution.”
Pope is praised by Theology Department Chair Andrea Vicini, S.J., as “a committed, generous, and dedicated teacher, loved by his numerous undergraduate and graduate students. He shares with his students his passion for the theological contributions of Thomas Aquinas, as well as the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation to foster social justice amidst the troubled history of our world.”
Fr. Vicini and Fr. Kalcheur also cited his
mingham Jail,” in which he asserted the necessity to confront racism and injustice not just in one’s community but everywhere it is present: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,” she quoted from the letter, “tied in a single garment of destiny.”
Those words, she said, apply in a practical sense—the failure to deal with climate change abroad affects America and vice versa—but also speak to a moral truth: Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere.
“The robes that you are wearing make especially visible the single garment of destiny in which we all are tied. They celebrate our connectedness. They also affirm the shared nature of our responsibility to one another, as global citizens.”
Richardson said it is therefore imperative for graduates to engage with those who have
different views than theirs, “to seek out those who oppose you and encounter them fairly and civilly.”
Higher education can and should play a critical role in addressing global problems, she said, because of its capacity to change lives, holding up her own as an example: the first in a family of seven children to attend college. Her education—funded not privately but through scholarships, she noted—created a bridge for her, as it has “for countless others” around the world. Richardson cited examples of how academia has been vital in offering solutions to worldwide problems, noting Oxford’s role in developing a vaccine against COVID-19 and the work of the BC Global Observatory on Planetary Health, which is conducting “invaluable” research on the dangers of plastic pollution.
“Universities are an unqualified good. We must not allow them to be cowed or diminished,” she said to enthusiastic applause, adding that they should be recognized as “seedbeds of tolerance, powerhouses of invention, generators of wealth, and beacons of free expression.
“As freshly minted graduates,” she said, returning to the superhero theme, “you are the new guardians of this galaxy.”
The genre of superheroes, Richardson observed, was invented “as a strong antidote to feelings of powerlessness and inevitability.”
Superman—whose creators, she pointed out, were sons of immigrants to America—“was born out of aspiration toward an ideal that didn’t yet exist, and that was built out of the collective dreams of millions of people who wanted something better for their children. He is an outsider figure from another planet who represents everyone and cares for all, enough to risk his life anonymously to save them.
“Superheroes are not born in quiet times. You, as new graduates going out into a difficult world, unstable and divisive and in need of fresh ideas, have a unique opportunity to reset the clock. With you lies the burden of difficult responsibility. With you a marvellous universe of infinite possibility.”
Also at the ceremony, Hayoung Cho received the 2025 Edward H. Finnegan, S.J., Award as the graduating senior who best exemplifies the University’s motto, “Ever to Excel”, while Professor of Theology Stephen Pope—whose birthday coincided with this year’s Commencement—was presented with the Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., Award in recognition of his distinguished career and significant role in advancing the University’s mission. [See separate stories on page 1]
Pope has volunteered for more than a decade with the Catholic chaplain’s office of MCI Norfolk and is committed to the community of the lay Fraternity of St. Dominic. He serves on the board of Bethany House Ministries, a lay-run community which assists individuals after incarceration. He is engaged in restorative justice initiatives and serves on the advisory board of the Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing located in the Law School of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Throughout his time at BC, he has served as a consultant and participant in Jesuit Refugee Services programs on international reconciliation.
frequent participation in student immersion experiences, which are an invaluable complement to classroom studies.
“His immersion trips—leading students to El Salvador, Uganda, and South Africa— have changed the lives of many Boston College students, nurturing their studies with the encounters and stories of many victims,” said Fr. Vicini. “A very successful and appreciated lecturer, since his arrival at Boston
College in 1988, he has served the Theology Department and the University in many positions, while continuing to enrich the academy with his scholarship and publications.”
The author or editor of 10 books, Pope is currently working on God’s Love and Ours: A Christian Ethic of Forgiveness. He also has published numerous articles in prominent periodicals, and is sought by media to share insights on topics in the news.
“What has been most significant about my BC experience has been the privilege of getting to teach some of our remarkable undergraduates,” he said. “I have often found myself inspired by the way they talk about their deepest desires and aspirations, their yearning to lead lives of integrity and goodness, their hope for a better, more just world—and their attraction to an ideal of education that upholds respect for the intrinsic dignity of all people.”
Previous recipients of the Bellarmine Award are Thomas F. Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane, Professor of Philosophy Patrick Byrne, Biology Professor and Department Chair Welkin Johnson, Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor Emerita Mary Walsh, and Professor of Economics Joseph Quinn.
BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
Parallel Letters (Parallel’noe Pis’mo), a new bilingual collection of poems by Russian-American author, translator, and Boston College Professor Maxim D. Shrayer, showcases twin texts that were born from the same sources, but occupy different linguistic and cultural spaces: Russian and English.
The title of the collection—which Shrayer believes to be the first volume of verse by a Russian-American bilingual poet with parallel yet different versions of each text—was drawn from his “parallel writing” process: his principal method of creating literary texts over the past three years.
“It’s not self-translation, but rather a parallel creation of texts in two languages,” explained Shrayer, a professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies. “Living as I do in the space of translingualism, I can no longer think of the ‘original’ and the ‘translation,’ but only of parallel versions of one text.”
According to Shrayer, who has authored and edited nearly 30 books in English and Russian, “there have been books with ‘bilingual texts,’ usually the original on the left side and the translation on the right. To my knowledge, this is the first with both versions—Russian and English, in my case—authored by the poet. In a sense, a parallel presentation of the two versions of my poems offers both a map of their creation and a guide to the workings of a translingual literary mind.”
The volume’s 38 poems—written
from 2020–2024—primarily focus on immigrant memory among those from the former Soviet Union now living in the United States, Israel, and Europe; the Soviet legacy; and the wars in Ukraine and Israel. Poetry has been central to Shrayer’s work since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Released in April, Parallel Letters was launched that month at the Bebelplatz book fair in Berlin. The publisher, Sandermoen Publishing, based in Zug, Switzerland, describes the book as “a new word in literature.” Founded by Anna Chediya Sandermoen, a Swiss-based expatriate originally from the former USSR, the publishing house is an international leader in bilingual and multilingual publishing.
“Shrayer’s verses are marked by a passionate commitment to justice and by formal originality,” the publisher noted. “The poems reflect each other like two mirrors but also refract each other, as they are mirrors of history and culture. Each sprouting in its own linguistic soil, Shrayer’s poetic texts whisper reverently and tenderly about the divine creator and scream about human suffering. In them, pain and nostalgia neighbor happiness and love.”
What is new in the volume, according to Sandermoen, “is the way a bilingual text appears. It happens simultaneously in two languages, not through the process of self-translation from one language to another. And since every language exists in its own cultural universe and acts as a tuning chamber for culture, bilingual texts do not always mirror each other, but follow—each of them—their own logic, and also the author’s emotional ‘momentum,’
which exists in a particular place and time. In order to understand the book, to feel it, it is not enough to read just its Russian or its English ‘half,’ because they do not fully coincide with each other.”
This new approach has won praise from Shrayer’s scholarly and poetic peers.
“This is not only a collection of letters, it’s a voice of memory,” said Professor Emeritus Stefano Garzonio of Italy’s University of Pisa, a prominent bilingual poet, scholar, and literary translator. “The title refers not only to the letter itself but to writing—its style and the language that defines its nature. In different ways, writing in two languages is building and rebuilding
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two worlds. To write is to awaken memory, and memory is not just words, not just spirit, but also scent, taste, matter, flesh. The flesh that time itself transforms in the flow of life, carrying one’s own people, one’s own friends, one’s own lineage.
“The parallel letters that Maxim D. Shrayer sends to all of us are the words that build and rebuild both his own split world and our own multiple worlds. The former USSR, America, Israel, Russia, and Ukraine are the places from where the letters were sent to the poet, and where he now sends the letters back. Moscow, Leningrad, Jerusalem, Kamianets-Podilskyi, and Boston are the poet’s cities. The places experienced and now reconstructed through memory are Shrayer’s addresses. The father calls the son, the son answers his father in rhymed and free verse, in terza rima and couplets,” Garzonio added.
Fedor Poljakov, a University Professor at the University of Vienna and a leading historian of émigré letters, also lauded Parallel Letters: “Owing to its strong voice and ornate mosaic of images, the poetry of Maxim D. Shrayer sometimes makes one forget that it grows out of several literary traditions, to which the experience of the poet-observer, poet-traveler, and poetresearcher is applied. The poet is steeped in life’s history, and his poems reveal a depth of recollection. The bilingualism of Parallel’noe pis’mo/Parallel Letters underscores the multiple reflections of the worlds where the poet’s soul had found refuge and where his analytical talent had been formed.”
For more on Maxim D. Shrayer, see www. shrayer.com
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University President William P. Leahy, S.J., will host the annual Recognition Reception and Dinner for retiring Boston College employees on May 28, which also will include presentation of the annual Boston College Community Service Award.
Those administrators, faculty, and staff who retired during the 2024-2025 academic year include: Dora Adar, Wanda Anderson, Jose Aroca, Theresa Barba, Kevin Bedell, Daniel Bourque, Karen Breda, Aleyda Castillo, Meyer Chambers, Maureen Chancey, Jeffrey Cohen, Martin Cohen, Jeronimo Colon Cora, James Condon, Rani Dalgin, John Darr, Brian David, Joseph Desmond, John Ellis, Kari Evans, Nancy Fedrow, Bonnie Flaman, Robert Goyette, Kim Guilbert, Dennis Hale, Nancy Hall, Susan Hallee, J. Bradley Harrington, Stuart Hecht, Candace Hetzner, Laurie Hoole, and Donna Huyhn.
Also, Richard Jackson, Andrea Javel, Denice Koljonen, Howard Lau, Katherine Lemon, Francisco Martins, Heloisa MartinsColon, Christopher Matthews, Maureen McGrail, Susan Michalczyk, Alan Minuskin, Irene Mizrahi, Patricia Mulvaney, Alicia Munnell, Bienvenido Noneza, Winifred O’Hanlon, Karen O’Malley, Carol Pepin,
Cidalia Pereira, John Pereira, Linda Reams, Theresa Riordan, Naomi Rubin, James Russell, Paul Scarnici, Jean Scribner, Kathleen Seiders, Susan Shell, Eileen Shepard, Carlos Sousa, Joyce Taylor, Phillip Temples, Paul Tremblay, David Twomey, Thomas Wahhab, Robin Warsh, and Percy Wong.
Earlier this month, Boston College recognized employees who completed 25 years of service during 2024-2025: Toma Ancheta, Jose Ascencio, Avner Ash, Bartolomeu Barros, Carla Boudreau, Michael Bowery, Theresa Burke, Joseph Catanzaro, Rebekah Levine Coley, Christopher Constas, Carol Craig, Kenneth Galli, Vance Garry, Catherine Hill, Rosemarie Holden, Elaine Holloman, Run Ling Huan, Katherine Lemon, and Dale Mahoney.
Also, Patrick Mahoney, John McCarthy, Cecilia McClary, Scott McCoy, Jean McDonald, Seth McKibben, Eugene McMahon, Matthew Meegan, Susan Michalczyk, Jamie Beth Mihaich, Frantz Milfort, Emmanuel Milfort, Dimitrios Orfanos, Jennifer Parsons, Mario Pita, Susan Richard, Carlo Rotella, Mark Schuman, Maureen Shea, James Smith, and Charles Sullivan.
Theresa Barba ’80, M.S. ’02
Quality Improvement Coordinator
University Health Services Year joined BC: 1988
I started as a part-time nurse in the infirmary on Newton Campus, and for two years I worked alongside my mother, Barbara Sheehan, who was the head nurse. College health nursing has provided me with the opportunity to work with a unique population. Teaching students to advocate for themselves, providing support and intervention for acute physical or mental health issues and helping them to navigate the health care system has provided me with a great sense of pride and satisfaction in my career.
Meyer Chambers
Campus Minister for Liturgical Arts University Mission and Ministry Year joined BC: 2004
There have been some changes in the administrative structure of the University Mission and Ministry Division while I’ve been here, but what has not changed is Boston College’s commitment to walk the journey with young people as they move into adulthood. There is a clear sense of mission in what my colleagues and I do, which is to be in conversation with students about their lives. Of course, the dramatic advances in social media and other technology have sometimes complicated those conversations, because it influences what students see, hear, and believe. And even as the technology has expanded our ability to be in communication with one another, it’s contributed to what’s been called the siloization of humanity, keeping
Over four-plus decades, Shell has relished the opportunity BC provides to explore the philosophical and the political
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Professor of Political Science Susan Shell closed out her 45th and final year at Boston College this month, capping a career devoted to exploring the philosophical aspects of political science, through the works of iconic thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, Friedrich Hegel, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and above all, Immanuel Kant— the subject of many of her publications.
sity in Ontario. “There has always been a great deal of civility among us in Political Science, and even though we might represent different political outlooks and use different methodologies, we all take politics seriously. You could sit down with any colleague and have great conversations.
What I will miss most is the opportunity I had to educate students regarding their health concerns. In getting to know some of the students that have touched my life over the years, I have seen the energy, potential, spirit, and leadership they will bring into the world; and it has been my distinct honor to have provided them care or maybe just a hand to hold, along the way.
us separate from one another. But at the crux of BC, as a Jesuit, Catholic university, is the faith commitment, and taking care of people. The University has stood up against this trend.
College is a place for young people to experiment, as we know, and there are sometimes missteps and failures—and that’s true at Boston College, too. But so much of the success here is because of people the University has taught and formed, and who come back to support the mission of BC, and its students. That says something about the character of those who decide to attend BC, and why BC has come as far as it has.
“In addition to his writings on politics and other topics, Kant had some incisive things to say about higher education,” said Shell in a recent interview. “He defined the university ironically as a factory for producing Ph.D.s, and more seriously, as ‘a commonwealth of scholars whose trustees are the faculty.’ He spoke to the critical, central role faculty play in the mission of higher education. Kant also talked about the balance between left and right—in an academic sense—that is essential to any well-functioning university.”
Given such views, Kant would no doubt have approved of Boston College (he died almost 60 years before it was founded), said Shell, who sees a university that, while by no means insulated from societal changes and upheaval, has remained constant in identity and purpose.
“There’s a sense of continuity here, of keeping your head and moving forward,” she explained. “That, of course, is a reflection on the University’s Jesuit tradition: an enduring idea that education is for a higher purpose than personal enrichment, and comprises an academic and spiritual dimension.”
Shell has done her part to support those facets of BC’s mission, both in the classroom and through leadership roles, notably as chair of her department for 16 years and director of its graduate studies for 12 years. She also has served on the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Board of Chairs and Educational Policy Committee, and on University panels such as the committees on Service, and Student Affairs and Intellectual Life.
Her honors and awards include three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and research fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College Earhart, and the Bradley Foundation. Her book The Rights of Reason: A Study of Kant’s Philosophy and Politics won an Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award.
“I felt this was an attractive place to be, where there was a fruitful marriage of philosophy and political science, and that’s exactly what I found,” recalled Shell, who prior to BC had taught at Concordia University in Montreal and was a postdoctoral fellow in philosophy at McMaster Univer-
“I’ve relished the opportunity to examine and teach about the philosophical questions that grow out of politics: How should we rule ourselves? What is justice? I think that, far from being a distant ivory tower, BC places a great importance in fulfilling its civic mission, as well as its religious and academic ones.”
Her friends and colleagues might find it strange, Shell said, “but I actually enjoyed being the department chair, and taking on other administrative tasks and opportunities.” She is gratified at having been able to work with the University in building and strengthening the graduate program in political science, giving it “not just an American focus but an international one.”
On the non-academic side, Shell is happy to have had a hand, through her work with the Board of Chairs, in the creation of the Faculty Dining Room in McElroy Commons. “It’s not just a place to eat and relax, but also to foster collegiality across different departments and programs,” she said. “A chance encounter in the dining room can sometimes bring about a connection that leads to shared academic interests and pursuits.”
In fact, Shell believes that the more settings for informal gatherings and interactions on campus, the better—not only among faculty, but between faculty and students, as well as between graduate and undergraduate students. “I think having those kinds of opportunities are valuable for student formation. I know they were for me when I was one.”
In retirement, Shell will continue with research and writing, including a book manuscript, Kant’s True Politics; the title is reference to a famous Kant quote, “True politics cannot take a single step without first paying homage to morals.”
“I also want to write about how Kant and some of his contemporaries can provide insights and perspectives on today’s politics,” she added. “Great thinkers like Kant are a resource that always provide a useful lens on contemporary matters.”