Fisher College Magazine 2023

Change a Life, Change the World FISHER COLLEGE Magazine Issue Five / 2023

PAMELA WALKER’S INAUGURAL WALKER SCHOLARSHIP WAS AWARDED TO BRAZILIAN STUDENT ANA MASSEI ’23 P.4

Fisher Today

A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY WITH AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT BODY AND FACULTY SITUATED IN A WORLD-CLASS CITY THAT PROVIDES GLOBAL CAREER POSSIBILITIES, THE FISHER EXPERIENCE PUTS THE WORLD AT ITS STUDENTS’ DOORSTEP P. 20

DOUBLE HEADER FORMER ASSISTANT BASEBALL COACH JOSE DIAZ ’09, M.B.A. ’16 AND RETIRED RED SOX PITCHER MANNY DELCARMEN HAVE TEAMED UP TO CREATE THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ACADEMY P. 26

+ The Fisher DRAMA CLUB Celebrates 20 Years

P. 14

Contents / 2023

“We don’t get the stage until the week of the show. You have three days to perfect it. I’ve had students fall off the back of the stage. One girl broke her leg, a guy broke his ankle, and in each case, it was a day before opening night.

We’ve had to stop saying ‘break a leg!’”

DR. DANIELLE HERGET / P. 14

In Every Issue

Features

14 / Best in Show

For two decades, Fisher’s Drama Club has been churning out hits and fostering lifelong friendships. After 33 productions and more than 120 performances, Dr. Danielle Herget is planning the ultimate show: the 20th Year Fisher Drama Club Reunion.

20 / A World of Opportunity

26 / Double Header

2 / From the President

With an international student body of roughly 20 percent and faculty situated in a world-class city that provides global career possibilities, the Fisher College experience puts the world at its students’ feet.

Former assistant baseball coach Jose Diaz ’09, M.B.A. ’16 and retired Red Sox pitcher Manny Delcarmen and have teamed up to create the Boston Athletic Academy, giving student athletes the tool to excel on the field and in the classroom.

Steven Rich

By Bob Gulla

By Elaine Lembo

Fisher College Magazine / Issue Five

By Bob Curley

The Cover

Enduring Legacy

Fisher updates and feedback.

Brazilian student Ana Massei ’23, recipient of the new Walker Scholarship, with Pamela Walker, Fisher College’s former Director of Financial Aid.

3 / Connect

Photograph by Christopher Churchill

2 / Contributors 3 / For the Record

40 / Artifact

Memorabilia from the Class of 1957.

Photographs by Christopher Churchill

President STEVEN RICH

Vice President of Enrollment Management and Chief Admissions Officer ROBERT MELAR AGNI

Director of Advancement and Alumni Engagement ERIN DIGUARDIA

Associate Director of Advancement and Alumni Engagement MICHAEL OLIVEIR A ’11

Editorial Committee SCOTT DULIN JANET KUSER GAIL HARRIS JOSHUA MCK AIN ’20, ’22 CHARLENE PETERS

Editor PAULA M. BODAH

Creative Director ROBERT PARSONS / SEVEN ELM SEVENELM.COM

Chief Photographer CHRISTOPHER CHURCHILL

Image Specialist STEPHEN BEDNAREK

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Contributing Editor FRED ALBERT

Contributing Writers BOB CURLEY BOB GULLA ELAINE LEMBO ANNIE SHER M AN

Copyright © 2023 by Fisher College.

All publication rights reserved.

Fisher College Magazine is printed annually by Fisher College, 118 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116.

Diverse views expressed in Fisher College Magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Magazine or the College.

We welcome readers’ comments.

TELEPHONE: 617-670-4419 FAX: 617-236-5473 EMAIL: alumni@fisher.edu Fisher College Magazine is printed by Journeyman Press.

Postage paid at Newburyport, MA.

Departments

4 / Beacon

8 / On Campus

34 / Beyond

The inaugural Walker Scholarship Fund helps underrepresented students get a college education.

J. Braggs ’24; Student Spotlights; News + Notes.

Life wasn’t easy for Cynthia McGuigan, A.S. ’85, ’12, but she gives Fisher credit for helping her turn it all around.

6 / Fisher Today

Three Quick Questions with Assistant Professor Dr. SeungHwan Kim, Director of the Biology Program; Commencement 2023.

10 / Falcons

Fisher’s volleyball teams are bumping, setting, and spiking their way to success.

12 / The Academy

Fisher’s emphasis on work experience give students a competitive edge.

36 / Pursuits

Real estate broker Ben Robbie ’09; Edward W. Brooke Courthouse’s Head Account Clerk Darien Lavino ’19; the Puzzle.

38 / Advancing Fisher Donor Q+A: Fisher’s Vice President for

Academic Affairs, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Janet Kuser on why she gives to the school; Donor Profile: Dr. Dean Walton capped off a 35-year career at Fisher by joining its Board of Trustees; Spot the Difference.

Printed on paper with 10% recycled content.

Follow us at @FisherCollege and @FisherFalcons.

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 1

Foreword

From the President

Proud of Our Past, Poised for the Future S OMEONE A SKED ME RECENTLY IF

I’m settling in now that I’m in my third year as President of Fisher College. I said, “You never settle in. It’s always a challenge. And that’s part of the beauty of the job.”

Fisher College is meeting its challenges the way it always has: with pioneering, forward-looking thinking. The College has embarked on a five-year strategic plan, “Proud of Our Past, Poised for the Future,” to keep the College’s offerings robust and ensure our continued success.

While many private colleges are watching enrollment decrease, Fisher is holding steady. Our international student population has grown, and students from over 40 countries make up more than 20 percent of enrollment (“World of Opportunities,” page 20).

Still, we always want to grow enrollment, and creating a curriculum that will prepare students for the jobs of the future will help us do that. We’ve 2 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

established programs that are drawing students, such as our tech programs and our proposed online master’s degree in early childhood education (“Easy as ABC,” page 13). As technology evolves, we are poised to introduce courses to keep Fisher on the cutting edge. To that end, we have increased our online and graduate studies programs over the past year. Part of Fisher’s strength is a strong online division that helps us reach more students.

Studies show that student engagement is key to retention and graduation rates, and the strategic plan includes looking for ways to help Fisher’s students build the kind of strong relationship with the institution that can help ensure their academic success. Existing programs, like esports, athletics, and our Drama Club, which is celebrating 20 successful years (“Best in Show,” page 18), can serve as a model as we look for ways to increase student engagement.

The five-year plan will also focus on enhancing our institutional foundation, keeping facilities at state-of-the-art levels and managing the College’s endowment in the best way possible. Along with that, we’ll be looking at ways to increase our fundraising presence so that we can create new scholarship programs.

Finally, the strategic plan will focus on advancing our institutional identity. By encouraging faculty to present at conferences and by getting out myself to connect with the community, we will be getting out the word about the best kept secret on Beacon Street.

As we embark on this ambitious plan, we’re starting from a position of strength, and that ensures that the future of Fisher is, indeed, bright.

Steven Rich / President

To learn more about the pillars of the College’s 2023–2028 strategic plan, please visit www. fisher.edu/about.

Contributors Christopher Churchill / Photographer

Churchill is a documentary photographer whose work has been shown internationally and is held in private and public collections including The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The J. Paul Getty Museum, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian. His clients include Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, Bank of America, Google, and Volvo, among others.

Bob Curley / Writer Curley is a freelance writer based in Rhode Island who writes for publications including New England Home, Caribbean Journal, Newport Life, Fodor’s, and Healthline. He is also the author of 100 Things to Do in Rhode Island Before You Die and Secret Rhode Island: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

Bob Gulla / Writer Gulla is a veteran writer who began his adventure in journalism in Boston. Bob has written for a wide array of outlets throughout his career, including People, Rolling Stone, and the Boston Globe. He now lives in Newport, Rhode Island, with his family.

Elaine Lembo / Writer Lembo is an award-winning journalist whose work reflects many passions, among them the marine environment, boats, and exploration under sail. She is a contributor to BC Law Magazine, Cruising World, BoatU.S.; 41°N, and the New York Yacht Club magazine. She lives on tiny Prudence Island, off the coast of Rhode Island.

Annie Sherman / Writer Sherman is an award-winning journalist in Rhode Island. She covers climate, business, and food culture for publications including the Boston Globe, Business Insider, Rhode Island Monthly, and more. She is the former editor of Newport Life, author of Legendary Locals of Newport, and is completing her first novel.

President photograph by Adam DeTour

Board of Trustees Officers Chair ALEX ANDR A L . BARTSCH, J.D. AT TORNEY AT LAW

For the Record

Esports Update Esports at Fisher College has witnessed remarkable growth in the Fall of 2023, with a significant surge in participation compared to the previous year. The statistics reveal an impressive increase in total esports engagement, showcasing the growth of this competitive gaming scene within the institution.

For undergraduate day students, the numbers have risen from 43 participants in Fall 2022 to 80 in Fall 2023,

an 86 percent increase. This uptick reflects the burgeoning interest in esports among college students.

Moreover, graduate and GPS students have also been keen to get involved. Fisher has seen a staggering 149 percent increase, rising from just 47 participants in 2022 to 117 in 2023. This expansion underscores the inclusivity of the esports community at Fisher College.

The soaring numbers in Fisher College’s esports program are a testament to the vibrant and growing gaming culture on campus, with students from various programs enthusiastically participating and embracing the world of competitive gaming.

Vice Chair REBECCA B. COSTELLO, PH.D. ’68 SCIENTIFIC CONSULTANT, RB COSTELLO LLC

Treasurer WALTER J. DILLINGHA M, JR., CFA M ANAGING DIRECTOR, WILMINGTON TRUST N.A., ENDOWMENTS & FOUNDATIONS

Clerk JA MES BAYLES SENIOR M ANAGER, CONSULTING, VALUED CONSULTING, LLC

Members LAVERNE BROWN, PH.D. SENIOR SCIENTIST, SKIN AND HAIR CARE, ANALY TICAL METHOD DEVELOPMENT, JOHNSON & JOHNSON CONSUMER PRODUCTS COMPAN Y STEPHANIE DAVIDSON, PH.D. VICE CHANCELLOR FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, OHIO BOARD OF REGENTS (RETIRED)

Connect Stay in Touch Update your contact information to stay in touch with Fisher College. To learn how to help build our community, volunteer, or support Fisher, contact the Advancement & Alumni Engagement Office.

us on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube and share our content with your fellow alumni. We invite you to attend or host alumni events, volunteer to be a class correspondent or regional volunteer, or hire alumni for full-time positions.

EMAIL: alumni@

fisher.edu CALL: 617-670-4419 VISIT: www.fisher.

edu/alumni Help Build Our Community There are a number of ways to draw closer to Fisher.

Online, you can join the Fisher College LinkedIn page to see what your colleagues are doing professionally and to build your career network. Or follow

Provide Career Services Fisher supports students and graduates in their quest for professional fulfillment.

Become part of that endeavor by providing career advice and opportunities for them. Those opportunities include hiring students for internships, participating in mock interviews and the Spring Career Fair,

or hosting recruitment and networking events.

Connect with Students As alumni, you have a lot to offer our students—and vice versa. Get to know each other. Share your know-how by mentoring, speaking to classes, sponsoring learning projects and travel to professional and academic conferences, and becoming a member of one of our Industry Advisory Boards.

Invest in Our Future Alumni generosity is central to Fisher’s commitment to provide an affordable, quality education to our students.

Gifts to the annual Fisher Fund provide support for many of the College’s most important needs.

Additional options include estate gifts, gifts of stock, wire transfers, establishing a named scholarship, and joining the Staircase Leadership Giving Society.

Lifelong Learning Advance your career, add to your credentials, or obtain a graduate degree or certificate by enrolling in one of our growing number of professional and master’s degree programs, taking a workforce training and development course, or participating in customized corporate training.

PETER C. EVERETT, M.D. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE; MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST, BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER CHRISTIAN C. FISHER PRESIDENT EMERITUS, FISHER COLLEGE; PRESIDENT, TEN GATES DEVELOPMENT LLC JOHN MCDONNELL M ANAGING DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL, TITO’S HANDM ADE VODK A IKE PAPADOPOULOUS SENIOR M ANAGING DIRECTOR. REGIONAL HEAD OF IN VESTMENT BANKING HILLTOP SECURITIES ASHOK PATEL VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT/OPER ATIONS FOR JA MSAN HOTEL M ANAGEMENT VIK AS PATEL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BOSTON TR ADE INTERNATIONAL PAUL M. ROWE WELLESLEY VOLKSWAGEN DEAN WALTON, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, ASSISTANT DEAN SCHOOL OF LIBER AL ARTS AND SCIENCES, FISHER COLLEGE (RETIRED)

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 3

The Beacon WHAT’S INSIDE: Fisher Works 4 / Fisher Today 6 / On Campus 8 / Falcons 10 / The Academy 12

Fisher Works

Enduring Legacy The inaugural Walker Scholarship Fund helps underrepresented students get a college education.

BY A N N I E S H E RM A N

Ana Massei ’23 would likely not have attended college at all had it not been for Fisher’s robust scholarship program. Massei, a senior from Brazil, is the Walker Scholarship Fund’s inaugural recipient, and the funds have supported her in her studies of biology and science. She is a lab assistant in Fisher’s biology lab, is graduating a semester early, and plans to attend graduate or medical school. “We have a long history of cancer diagnoses in my family, so biology and science were always a field that I loved,” Massei says about her choice of major.

It can be difficult for international students to afford college, she points out. “As an international student, I cannot apply for any loans,” she says. “But Fisher was really flexible with that. They have given me many opportunities to apply for different scholarships and really opened doors for me.”

The Walker Scholarship Fund launched in 2023, thanks to Pamela Walker and her 4 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

husband Jeff, with support from the Warren Alpert Foundation. Walker retired in 2016 as Fisher’s Director of Financial Aid, and was so inspired by the College’s mission that she decided to establish the scholarship program. “I saw that the College was doing an incredible job, and Fisher just captured my heart. I really loved working with the students,” she says.

Applicants must show academic achievement, an ability to enrich the Fisher campus, and have clear financial need.

Walker is pleased that Massei is the scholarship’s first recipient. “I really enjoyed meeting Ana! I knew that we had picked the right person for the scholarship,” she says. “She is a first-generation student who has been a peer leader since her freshman year. She is involved in civic engagement and community services initiatives through the Office of Admissions and Student Activities. She is also an ambassador, representing the College at various events, both on- and off-campus. At these events she takes the opportunity to participate in public discussions of ideas. It was clear that she fits the values of Fisher that is the basis of the Walker Scholarship.”

“I really enjoyed meeting Ana! It was clear that she fits the values of Fisher that is the basis of the Walker Scholarship.”

PAMELA WALKER Photograph by Christopher Churchill

Ana Massei ’23, a senior from Brazil, is the Walker Scholarship Fund’s inaugural recipient.

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 5

Beacon / Fisher Today

Commencement 2023

The 119th Commencement offered hope and inspiration to 296 graduates.

BY AN N IE SHE RM AN

Class of 2023: ‘Find Your Passion’ Surrounded by Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and other Star Wars characters, Boston native Kris Meyer explained that the reason for their presence was passion. Their creator, George Lucas, Meyer says, “turned his passion, his dream, his interest into reality … through execution and action. ...

So find your passion, your dream, your interest, and grab hold of it. And then you grind, and you work, and then you get good at it, and that’s when you reap the benefits and fruits of your labor.”

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Commencement photographs by John Munson

More than 290 graduates of Fisher College’s Class of 2023 received their bachelor’s degrees May 13, with nearly 1,000 in attendance at Back Bay Events Center at John Hancock Hall in Boston. Dr. Alexandra L. Bartsch, Esq., chairwoman of the College’s Board of Trustees, opened the ceremonies, which included an invocation by Associate Professor Gregory Schnitzspahn and addresses

by President Steven Rich, valedictorian Emily Deller, and commencement speaker Kris Meyer, a film and television producer. Fisher awarded Meyer an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters to honor his “extraordinary contributions to society,” while a Star Wars entourage graced the stage. On June 28, Fisher awarded 71 master’s degrees at Alumni Hall, with addresses by former Executive Director, President, and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association Tom Grilk and Graduate and Professional Studies valedictorian Tracey Lee Pomerleau. Jim Sullivan, CEO of NWN Carousel, received an honarary degree.

Three Quick Questions

Dr. SeungHwan Kim Assistant Professor, Director of the Biology Program

1 / You founded Fisher’s biology lab. Why is that?

We offer the latest in education for the student who wants to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, healthcare professions (like medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, nursing, and physician assistant studies), and the research and education side of the field. I provide lecture and lab courses in general biology, cell and molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry—including my cancer research—toward B.A. and B.S. degrees in biology.

2 / What kind of work are they doing in the lab?

I have six to 10 students who are working in my pediatric cancer research program, totally outside the curriculum, collecting and interpreting data within the E. coli bacteria model system, and mathematical modeling, genomics, and bioinformatics.

3 / How are you preparing them for careers in research? In science, we ask good questions, develop the hypotheses, perform experiments, collect the data, and present a written portion of the abstract to the public. This hands-on experience of doing research in undergraduate education is essential to developing critical thinking and obtaining the skills and motivation to continue a career in biological science. –AS

Photograph by Christopher Churchill

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 7

Beacon / On Campus The Busier the Better J. Braggs ’24, threesport psychology major, drama club member, and resident assistant, says the key to avoiding burnout is time management.

BY A N N I E S H E RM A N

J. Braggs ’24 arrived at Fisher as a transfer student last year to play soccer. She was a junior year recruit, having played at Colorado Northwestern Community College, where she earned an associate degree in psychology. She was keen to settle into the Bay State,

work hard, and improve her athleticism.

But she wanted more. She wanted to be involved—to be part of a community and have a creative outlet.

“I knew I wanted to further my education, because that’s the most important thing,” says Braggs, now a senior year honors student.

When she met with the soccer coach, he expressed his belief in the notion of ‘student before athlete,’ “but also giving students some sort of outlet and some way that they can channel themselves where they’re not completely engulfed in school,” Braggs says.

“I love the opportunity that Fisher and Boston brings, because you meet so many people and you encounter experiences that you wouldn’t have elsewhere.”

J. BRAGGS ’24

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Photograph by

Christopher Churchill

Heeding that advice, it didn’t take her long to add basketball and softball to her roster, as well as a minor in Criminal Justice. She is a resident assistant and works in the Athletics Department scoring games. She loves to sing, so she performs in the drama club; she helped with costumes and lighting for last year’s fall production, and sang and acted in the club’s spring musical last academic year.

Having an outlet beyond sports is important for Braggs, not only for stress relief but also time management. She’s humble about having such a full plate, which she

says forces her to craft a schedule in which she completes everything on time or in advance. This intense focus will help in her next step: earning either an additional bachelor’s degree in sociology, or pursuing a master’s in forensic psychology or sports psychology.

“I love the opportunity that Fisher and Boston brings, because you meet so many people and you encounter experiences that you wouldn’t have elsewhere,” Braggs says.

“And when I’m ready to go back home, I can take that with me.”

News + Notes

End of an Era

Fisher in the News

Fisher College was always ahead When the CARES Act went into efof its time in recognizing that not fect in 2020, providing $2.2 trillion every student is someone who in stimulus—including enhanced has four years to devote to living unemployment benefits—to offset on campus and going to classes. job losses and other difficulties Continuing education sites that that resulted from the COVID panallowed students to build their edu- demic, Criminal Justice professor cation around their work and family Peter Cassino was curious about lives were a thriving segment its impact on crime rates. His refor the College. “At our peak, we search concluded that the CARES had almost 40 sites,” says Lynne Act helped reduce property crime— Robinson, Vice President of Online, burglary, larceny, and theft—sigGraduate and Professional Studies. nificantly. The research caught the As technology evolved, Fisher attention of journalist Zaid Jilani, a was quick to incorporate online reporter for NewsNation, who fealearning, offering remote edutured Cassino’s study on the news cation by the late 1990s. Online program’s website. “For reasons I learning began to render continudon’t understand, I seem to be the ing ed sites irrelevant, and one by only one researching this particuone, Fisher began to close them. lar topic,” Cassino says.

The last facility, in North Attleboro, Having his research go public Massachusetts, still operated as was personally gratifying, but it offices for the school’s online staff. was also a boon for Fisher College.

Enter COVID, and even those peo- “It gives us more credibility in ple began working remotely. In the world of research,” Cassino October 2023, Fisher finally sold says. “It’s always helpful to get the facility to the town of North At- our name out to a wider audience, tleboro for $2.2 million. The town too. Increasing our profile is a plans to house a food pantry and beneficial thing.” senior center in the space.

For Fisher College and for the town, it’s a clear win-win.

Fisher commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings by hosting a screening and panel discussion of the film Patriots Day, based on the book Boston Strong, by Casey Sherman and David Wedge.

Boston, Still Strong Fisher College commemorated the 10th anniversary of the tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon, hosting an exclusive screening of the film Patriots Day, based on the book Boston Strong, by Casey Sherman and David Wedge. Sherman and Wedge led a panel discussion to talk about the process of writing their bestselling book. Sherman, V.P. at Regan Communications, a prolific author, journalist, and screenwriter, lauds Fisher for lending him a handful of its students to help with research for the book. “The students were fantastic,” he says. “They did a great job researching, transcribing interviews, and conducting interviews on their own.”

While the event was free for both Fisher students and the public, Fisher College made a generous donation to the Sean Collier Memorial Fund, honoring M.I.T. police officer Collier, who was killed during the manhunt for the marathon bombers.

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Student Spotlights 1 / Austin Dabney ’25 Dabney came from Ohio to join the Boston Ballet in 2019, but redirected his career and now studies English with minors in management and diversity studies.

He’s the co-founder of PRIDE+ club and is active in the Student Government Association. He plans to attend law school. “Each of my professors has given me a key to intellectual freedom,” Dabney says. “I’m inspired by them every day.”

2 / Monami Muranaka ’23 After

switching majors from Management to Psychology, Japan native Muranaka is graduating a semester early to begin working, combining her interests in psychology and business. “I think that I might be able to contribute to the medical research industry as a businessperson, because I know many research programs are struggling with finances,” she says.

3 / Jose Neris ’24 This Puerto Rican baseball standout now plays the sport at Fisher, but he has so much more on tap. Studying Criminal Justice with a minor in Computer Forensics, the resident assistant and student ambassador is also earning his real estate license. He plans to attend law school, and perhaps open his own firm one day.

4 / Fernando Ortiz ’24 Ortiz came from Puerto Rico to play baseball, a game he’s been passionate about since childhood. He studies Marketing and Sport Management, and hopes for a career in sports or music. “I would love to be a sports or music agent,” he says. “To be successful in these jobs you need great marketing skills.”

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 9

Beacon / Falcons Net Results Fisher’s volleyball teams are bumping, setting, and spiking their way to success.

BY A N N I E S H E RM A N THE WOMEN’S AND MEN’S

volleyball team records have steadily improved since Natividad “Natie” Manalo ’19, M.A. ’21 showed up. Recruited as a transfer student to play for the inaugural women’s team in 2017, Manalo stuck around and became assistant coach of the team. Now head coach and Director of Student Activities, as well as a Resident Director, Manolo inherited a fledgling women’s lineup in the midst of COVID. Then in 2021, she was tasked with launching a men’s varsity team, too.

The pandemic canceled the women’s 2020 season, but since play resumed, the ladies have had an overall winning record of 40 wins and 22 losses under Manalo’s leadership.

That stands out on campus, especially since they pivoted

from a total of 36 wins and 34 losses across their first three seasons. Among Manalo’s strategies for strengthening her team are her efforts to reinforce bonds both on and off the court, fostering cameraderie throughout the ranks.

“It can be hard to play a sport if you’re not doing that well outside the court, or if you’re struggling with classes,” she says.

“Those difficulties can translate onto the court. Things that I do to implement that stronger team early on, and then through the season, are team bonding, and making sure the girls are hanging out off the court. Making sure the older women are there for the younger women with whatever they need, and instilling that support system.

Having that trust translates to success on the court.”

Two standout players help maintain that team chemistry.

Edsyl Irizarry ’25 and Lilliana Figueroa ’25 are juniors and captains of the team, and they’re both from Puerto Rico, where volleyball is a major sport. “They really stepped up as leaders on the court when they’re playing, and then off the court when they’re not playing,” Manalo says.

Men’s team players were recruited from other sports on campus, so their strong athleticism encourages everyone to aim high, Manalo says. Though their 2023 season ended at 0 and 13, her growth plan ensures interest in playing while building knowledge of the game as well as sportsmanship.

“My five-year plan is that I hope to have both programs be successful,” Manalo says. “In both programs, the constant is camaraderie, sportsmanship, and improving each practice and match. They love the game.

And I’m just trying to cultivate that love and bring them as far as I can for both seasons.”

After the Flames

A BUS FIRE SPARKS A NEW ATTITUDE THAT BRINGS SUCCESS TO THE MEN’S BASEBALL TEAM. The Fisher College men’s baseball team was returning from a series in North Carolina last April when they heard

an explosion at the back of their bus. Pulling off Interstate 95 near Baltimore, they discovered that a tire had blown out, bursting the brake line and sparking a fire that ultimately consumed nearly the whole vehicle.

Head Coach and Director of Athletics Scott Dulin quickly evacuated the 32 players and three coaches, and luckily no one was injured. “We saw flames coming from the back of the bus,” Dulin remembers. “As we sat on the side of the highway, I thought, ‘What do we do? How do we get home?’”

The stranded team took refuge at Maryland’s White Marsh Fire Department until a replacement bus arrived more than four hours later. Firefighters welcomed them with food, movies, and pickup baseball and wiffleball games. The entire experience helped bond the team, Dulin says—a real positive given that they weren’t having a great weekend up to that point. They had been without a home field due to construction, and before the fire they had a 0-4 record. Three weeks later, the team rallied from behind to qualify for the national championships.

“The adversity we faced without a field—and then magnified by the bus fire—was the reason we were able to pull that off,” Dulin says. “The fire completely changed our outlook.” —AS 10 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

Photographs by Christopher Churchill

“It can be hard to play a sport if you’re not doing well off the court. Things that I do to implement that stronger team early on, and then through the season, are team bonding. Having that trust translates to success on the court.”

COACH NATIVIDAD “NATIE” MANALO ’19, M.A. ’21

The pandemic canceled the women’s 2020 season, but since play resumed, the ladies have had an overall winning record of 40 wins and 22 losses under Coach Manalo’s leadership.

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 11

Beacon / The Academy A Bespoke Education Fisher’s well-rounded programs and emphasis on work experience are giving Kendra Sadler ’24 a competitive edge.

BY A N N I E S H E RM A N KENDRA SADLER ’24 knew exactly what she wanted when she came to Fisher College. Attracted by its fashion merchandising and management programs, the transfer student from Oregon launched into the College’s well-known fashion curriculum to increase her skills in merchandising and marketing.

She worked hard to get to this point, and this mindset, too. Throughout high school, she won national championships with DECA (formerly the Distributive Education Clubs of America), an organization that guides students to become emerging leaders. She and a friend also launched a business offering handmade hair accessories, which they sold on an e-commerce website, and at events and a few boutiques.

“I always knew I wanted to do fashion and merchandising,” Sadler says. “When I was growing up, I pleaded with my mom to buy Vogue in grocery lines. I wore the most obscure outfits. In high school, I looked into career paths in fashion.”

She decided to combine her passion for style and her talent for business. “We often think of design, but not the other aspects,” Sadler says. “Fisher was the ultimate choice for me. At other schools, it’s either fashion or business. I knew I would get a solid education here, and I

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saw the opportunity for having a more rounded education. I wanted that competitive edge.”

That strategy led her to a 10-week internship at Nordstrom last summer, where she was exposed to everything from styling clients to security processes, the register system, commissions, and data research. She evaluated sales numbers daily, met with senior executives, and built social media sites for more than 20 sales associates. Learning the operations of a $20 billion international fashion retailer will improve her long-term career prospects, she says.

Now president of Fisher’s Fashion Society and editor of the student fashion magazine, this senior has her hands full.

But until her Fisher degree is in hand, her mind is set on success. “Nordstrom is definitely a big name, so it’s great to have that internship on my resumé,” she says. “It allowed me to make the final push in the right direction.”

“Fisher was the ultimate choice for me. At other schools, it’s either fashion or business.”

KENDRA SADLER ’24 Photograph by Christopher Churchill

Easy as ABC

A PROPOSED ONLINE PROGRAM OFFERS AN ACCESSIBLE M.S. IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

The aim, says Early Childhood Program Director Cheryl Hovey, is a course of study that fits into the busy lives of today’s workers in the childhood education sphere.

Attracted by its fashion merchandising and management programs, Kendra Sadler ’24, a transfer student from Oregon, launched into the College’s wellknown fashion curriculum to increase her skills in merchandising and marketing.

On the heels of its new

bachelor’s degree program in early childhood education, launched in 2021, Fisher is now developing a master’s degree in the same discipline to be unveiled next fall.

Targeting working professionals eager for career advancement, the program will offer a more detailed curriculum, with approximately 11 courses and 33 credits, including mental health, assessment, leadership, and social and emotional learning, all taught online.

The aim, says Early Childhood Program Director Cheryl Hovey, is a course of study that fits into the busy lives of today’s workers in the childhood education sphere. “The majority of people who want their master’s have families and careers,” she says. “They don’t want to have to go back to school full time.”

The new program will consist of eight-week terms, instead of the traditional 16 weeks, Hovey notes. “There are no mandatory meeting dates, and we offer recorded sessions, so it’s really convenient,” she adds.

The State of Massachusetts offers support, too, with new aid for childhood educators to get their advanced degrees, which also factored into Fisher’s decision to offer the program.

“There is a definite need for a master’s degree that’s affordable and accessible,” Hovey says. “This is a way for people in a field that is traditionally low-paying to be able to get affordable graduate degrees.” —AS 2023 / Fisher College Magazine 13

BEST

SHOW

in

For two decades, Fisher’s Drama Club has been churning out hits and fostering lifelong friendships.

By ELAINE LEMBO Photographs by CHRISTOPHER CHURCHILL Fisher Drama Club students, clockwise from top left, Odette Muwayi ’25, Haelim (Jennifer) Lee ’26, Emily Deller, ’23, Olivia Dawson, ’24, Christelle Jean ’27, and Maddie Halverson ’26.

15

After 33 productions and more than 120 performances, Dr. Danielle “Dani” Herget is planning the ultimate “really big show”: the 20th Year Fisher Drama Club Reunion, marking a milestone that no one could fathom back in 2004 when the then-part-time teacher asked a couple of students if they wanted to form a drama club and produce plays.

“We’ve got interest from 65 alums,” Herget says about the reunion production, slated for spring 2024. “Forty want to perform, others want to lend support. It’s going to be crazy. We’re a fun group.”

Fun group? That’s putting it mildly. The members of this sprawling-yet-tight network of students and alums (150 active participants in its Facebook group and counting), credit their theatrical studies and experience at Fisher, along with the ties they forged with each other and Herget, with fueling careers and life choices.

“I’d always been told I was a ham, so I was interested in performing,” says lawyer and professional actor Daniel Faneuf ’04, who was one of the students in Herget’s first class and acted in the club’s debut production, Boys’ Life.

Ham or not, as a teenager from a small town in central Massachusetts, Faneuf was intimidated by city life when he got to Boston. “The encouragement and direction of the club allowed me to get out of my shell and discover talents I didn’t know I possessed,” he recalls.

After graduation, he went on to earn a degree in government at Suffolk University and a law degree from New England School of Law, but couldn’t ignore his love of theater.

He was a company member at Boston’s Improv Asylum even while working full time. “I would work nine to five at the office, then head over to the North End and perform shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights,” he recalls.

Now in charge of his own firm, father of a toddler, and an advocate for his wife’s music career, Faneuf acts only on occasion. Nonetheless, he says, “The Fisher Drama Club significantly altered the trajectory of my life for the better.

The confidence that was fostered by getting up in front of a crowd those first few times set the stage for many wonderful opportunities to come.”

For former student Cullen Burke, involvement with the drama club was a happy accident that occurred while he was making other plans. Coming in a year after Faneuf, Burke recalls, “Fisher had just started taking guys as students, and 16 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

I was there to play baseball. On a lark I auditioned for The Crucible and got the lead role as the character John Proctor.”

This was hardly what a young jock expected. “Getting the Proctor role was a seminal moment. I didn’t realize that there was as much, if not more, teamwork in ensemble theater and acting in general as in sports,” he says. “On a field at any given point you’re the one with the ball and you’re either doing well or poorly. At no point when you’re on the stage is it just you. It’s always a team effort. You live and die by the team. It was really eye-opening.”

So much so that Burke, “with all the hubris of youth,” he says with a laugh, quit Fisher after one year, moved to New York, completed a two-year acting program, and “couldn’t make a dime.” After fumbling around, Burke returned to New England and ultimately landed in Maine, where he hit his stride. He now earns a living as an actor and model, working for regional theaters and various commercial projects.

Burke echoes Faneuf’s sentiments and those of other students and alums when he articulates Fisher’s staying power. “When you make theater, a condensed bond is created with other people in such a short period of time,” he says. “There’s so much energy, emotion, and so much of yourself poured into it. You’re on a shoestring budget and you take ownership of the play, and in a weird way it works. You put the stage and set together. You maneuver the lights between scenes. You become a family.”

And, hands down, Herget’s leadership is what makes the drama club stand out. “It’s Danielle,” Burke says without hesitation. “You don’t want a stuffy old prof who reads to you from a tome in a monotone. You want someone who sees the world from your point of view, who understands the weird world you live in when you’re 19, when everything is changing so dramatically and constantly.

That was such a huge thing for me as a young adult who had an ego the size of a Buick.”

Herget is academic advisor to liberal arts major Linda Martinez ’24, who has performed roles in three of the club’s

In her 21st year with Fisher, Danielle Herget juggles infinite roles. Aside from advising the club through two or three annual productions, each of which includes three performances, she maintains a hectic teaching schedule in theater, English, and public speaking, and is director of the liberal arts and various honors programs and internships.

recent plays. “Once I got to know her, I fell in love not only with the program, but with her passion for theater, which gives us an outlet to be unapologetically ourselves,” Martinez says. “There’s no one like her.”

Not all drama club members find their way solely in front of the footlights. Demon Days, written and directed

by Ethan Stone Hatfield ’19, gave the communications and media studies graduate the perfect outlet to make people laugh while developing storytelling and scriptwriting skills. The once-reclusive teenager, who preferred writing scenes to socializing, commuted daily for four years from South Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was encouraged by Herget and welcomed by club members, whom he now considers lifelong friends. “Even if you’re nervous, join a club,” Hatfield says. “Meet some new people. Rarely will you be disappointed.”

Show business seems to be in Herget’s genes. Her mother, Jill, who she says is her muse, had her own aspirations for a career in theater when she was a student at Bridgewater State University. That dream ended up on hold until she became involved in theater as an adult, as a break from her teaching career. “She comes to every single show—she hasn’t missed one—and she comes into my classes and teaches directing techniques,” Herget says.

Herget was dancing by the age of three, and the toddler who couldn’t sit still went on to a double undergraduate degree from Colby College in English and the performing arts. She later earned her M.A. from Boston College and a Ph.D in drama at Tufts. “I do most of the choreography for our musicals, unless a student is really active in it,” she says. “It’s what makes me excited.”

In her 21st year with Fisher, Herget juggles infinite roles.

Aside from advising the club through two or three annual

productions, each of which includes three performances, she maintains a hectic teaching schedule in theater, English, and public speaking, and is director of the liberal arts and various honors programs and internships. She praises the drama club’s board of student officers and its general members, who create lasting memories despite a tight annual budget of $5,000 and a campus performance space that features nine moveable metal platforms instead of a conventional fixed stage, and is seldom available.

“We don’t get the stage until the week of the show, and practicing in a classroom is a huge difference from practicing on a moveable metal stage with stairs, curtains, darkness. You have three days to perfect it,” Herget says.

“I’ve had students fall off the back of the stage. One girl broke her leg, a guy broke his ankle, and in each case, it was a day before opening night. Both went on stage in crutches. We’ve had to stop saying ‘break a leg,’ because of the number of legs that have been broken!”

Herget marvels at the students’ devotion and energy.

“Half of the club are commuter students, some from extremely far away,” she says. “The four years Ethan Hatfield was at Fisher he was in every single show, he was president of the club for two years, wrote his own play, and directed it.

He was taking commuter rail, then the T into Boston. He’s hardly the only one. It shows their dedication. They do it because they love it.”

Clearly, she does, too. Preoccupied with the 10 songs and 10 scenes that will make up the 20th reunion show, Herget knows better than anyone else that the show must go on.

Says inaugural club member Jennifer Keaveney, who also helped direct the 10th reunion performance, “This community has fostered lifelong friendships and memories, and I can’t wait to return for the 20th anniversary!”

Fun group? That’s putting it mildly.

The members of this sprawling-yet-tight network of students and alums (150 active participants in its Facebook group and counting), credit their theatrical studies and experience at Fisher, along with the ties they forged with each other and Herget, with fueling careers and life choices.

On with the Show In addition to musical revues, one-act festivals, cabaret nights, jazz and blues tributes, and talent shows, the Fisher Drama Club has presented a wide variety of plays by famous and lesser-known playwrights.

Spring 2004 Boys’ Life, by Howard Korder Spring 2005 Pretty Much The Best Musical Ever, by Danielle Herget and Jennifer Keaveney Fall 2005 + Fall 2017 The Crucible,

by Arthur Miller Spring 2006 Lovers and Other Strangers,

by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna

Fall 2006 The Heidi Chronicles,

by Wendy Wasserstein

Fall 2009 Steel Magnolias,

by Robert Harling

Fall 2007 Lysistrata,

by Aristophanes

Winter 2010 The Importance of Being Earnest,

by Oscar Wilde

Fall 2008 The Laramie Project,

by Moises Kaufman

Fall 2011 How I Learned to Drive, by Paula Vogel

Winter 2009 Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits, by William Shakespeare and Danielle Herget

Fall 2012 Bachelorette, by Leslye Headland Winter 2012 Mmmbeth,

by Allison Williams

Spring 2012 Grimm Beats,

by Danielle Herget and Johnny Hurley Fall 2013 A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams Winter 2013 Tartuffe, by Moliere Spring 2013 You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter,

by Danielle Herget and Mack Caroll

Winter 2014 Crimes of the Heart,

by Beth Henley Fall 2014 The Women, by Claire Booth Luce Fall 2015 I Hate Shakespeare,

by Steph DeFerie Spring 2017 The Sound of Music, by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein

Spring 2018 Into the Woods,

by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

Spring 2020 Little Shop of Horrors, by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman

Fall 2018 Demon Days,

by Ethan Stone Hatfield ’19

Spring 2022 Mamma Mia, by Catherine Johnson and ABBA

Fall 2019 The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr, Abrgd, by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield

Spring 2023 Chicago,

by John Kander and Fred Ebb Fall 2023 Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 19

A WORLD OF WITH AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT BODY AND FACULTY SITUATED IN A WORLD-CLASS CITY THAT PROVIDES GLOBAL CAREER POSSIBILITIES, THE FISHER COLLEGE EXPERIENCE PUTS THE WORLD IN ITS STUDENTS’ HANDS. OPPORTUNITY

BY BOB GULLA Portraits by

CHRISTOPHER CHURCHILL

21

Fisher College’s front entrance at 118 Beacon Street is an elegant neoclassical arch that stands out from neighboring brownstones, nestled in a row of magnolias. Stepping through that arch, as all Fisher students do, you enter a stunning lobby with checkerboard floor tiles and a floating marble staircase. It’s an unexpected gem, serene, impressive, safe, and sheltering. And while it is a doorway to Fisher, it’s also an entrée to an entirely new world, a world, some might say, of opportunity.

“Those architectural elements seemed to me like a good metaphor for Fisher College,” says Associate Professor of English Dr. Nicole DePolo. “Inside our front door is a warm, welcoming place where students, faculty, and staff work closely together. Many of our students come to Boston for the first time to attend Fisher College, and that initial visit offers a serene and protective space while at the same time, it’s an entry point to the city.”

DePolo thought so highly of that initial experience that she proposed a new tagline for the College: “A Doorway to Boston, a Bridge to the World.”

“The way I saw it,” she says, “Fisher College is a bridge to a world of possibility, reflected by the Longfellow Bridge spanning the Charles River, which flows into Boston Harbor and the vast ocean beyond.”

Roughly 20 percent of Fisher students come from that Great Beyond, outside the United States, representing more than 40 countries. Fisher has been a point of access to higher education for people from all over the world, fulfilling the vision of DePolo’s slogan. Its mission, location, and academic resources prepare students for professional futures around the world by engaging established and emerging businesses operating around greater Boston to embrace its talent. Athletic teams and esports programs have also made inroads by showcasing Fisher’s specialties and highlights around the globe. The premise, and the promise, of Fisher is working.

“We have a very strong alumni force that shares their experiences with students in their home countries, and our current students also share their stories with friends and family, which then encourages them to apply,” says Alexandra Callanan, Associate Director of International Recruitment. “In addition, the International Admissions Office has built relationships with various agents and companies around the world that spread the word about Fisher’s unique experience and influence on our students and the workforce.”

22 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

Emmet Greene bought in without hesitation and he’s glad he did. “Fisher College and its staff provided me with the key skills to ensure success in my career,” he says. Greene, ’17, M.S. ’21, studied Criminal Justice at Fisher in both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. For students like Greene, education is about more than learning in the classroom. Fisher strives to make it a life-changing experience, an introduction to a much larger world of possibilities. “When I first visited the school, I immediately knew it was where I wanted to be. I fell in love with Boston instantly, and Fisher played a major role in this.”

Born in New York, Greene moved to Ireland at three years old where he remained until he was 16 and returned to the U.S. to attend high school. “College was a great springboard for my career. In my senior year, I interned at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in the Homicide Unit.” This internship ultimately led to his employment at the DA’s office after graduation. Several upward movements later, Greene is now poised to assume another impressive post. “I’m starting a position as an Investigator with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is a Federal agency.”

Although he came to Fisher from New York (via the city of Athlone in County Westmeath), he was unfamiliar with the college system in the U.S. “Fisher was more than helpful while I navigated through the process,” he says. “The College has outstanding staff in all departments. I would highly recommend Fisher to all prospective students, especially international students.”

After graduating high school in her hometown of Bordeaux, France, Eugenie Coste ’20 also wanted to study in the U.S. Her path eventually led her to Fisher, a school she found to fit both her profile and her needs. “Fisher has opened many doors for me,” she says. “The American culture is very positive and provides great opportunities for hard-working people. I was able to do an internship

through Fisher, which helped me gain experience and land a fulltime job in my field of study later on.”

Coste graduated from Fisher in 2020 with a B.S. in Human Resource Management. Today, she works in Florida at the LIM Group, a French company in the horseriding space as their Human Resources Manager for North America. “Dr. Jack Roche, a professor of human resources with a lot of experience, specifically opened a course in International HR for me and one other student to give us the opportunity to obtain more knowledge in this field. I now work in HR at the international level, so his help and commitment were a great springboard for my career.”

Minh Truong ’23, from Hanoi, Vietnam, who earned his degree in Management from Fisher and now works as Food and Beverage Manager at Hotel AKA, decided to stay in Boston to take advantage of the local job market. “It was one of the best decisions I have made in my life,” he says.

“I chose a career not many people think about, and even though it’s hectic, tiring, and can drive you crazy, it’s super rewarding at the end of the day.”

Fisher and its faculty contributed to Minh’s success.

“I love the fact that the faculty and staff really know their students; the professors care about each student’s success.

I also feel that the flexibility I got from this school was one of the reasons my resumé was stacked when I graduated!”

“When I first visited the school, I immediately knew it was where I wanted to be.

I fell in love with Boston instantly, and Fisher played a major role in this.”

EMMET GREENE ’17, M.S. ’21 FROM: IRELAND JOB: INVESTIGATOR, EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

CARIBBEAN DREAM

An innovative alliance lets grads study medicine in the island country of Grenada.

WHILE ATTENDING MEDICAL

school isn’t exactly a day at the beach, a Fisher student could be that much closer to a beach by taking advantage of the school’s new alliance with St. George’s University (SGU), a reputable educational institution located on the West Indies island of Grenada.

The SGU-Fisher program is a direct admission partnership for qualified Fisher grads to gain immediate entry to SGU School of Medicine. Founded in 1976, SGU is a center of international education, drawing students and faculty from 140 countries to the island.

“We are delighted to partner with Fisher College to help its most talented students pursue

their dreams of becoming doctors,” says Dr. G. Richard Olds, President of SGU. The new affiliation was established in the Fall of 2022, and offers several options for attending a four- or five-year program after completing certain prerequisites and demonstrating academic excellence at Fisher. Depending on the program, students may also receive a scholarship of $5,000 or $10,000.

“We are excited to offer our students a seamless pathway to a career in medicine,” says Fisher President Steven Rich. “Our partnership with St. George’s University will ease some of the stress that students feel about applying to medical school.” –BG 2023 / Fisher College Magazine 23

So was Juan Franco’s. The Medellin, Colombia, native received his M.B.A. in Strategic Leadership from Fisher back in 2019 and proceeded to earn a Business Certification from Harvard Business School. Today he works as a Project Manager at the Apollo School of Music & Arts in Boston. “One of the most valuable aspects I gained from Fisher is its unwavering support for both local and international students,” he says. “I am confident that the institution also played a significant role in shaping my entrepreneurial mindset.”

While Franco, Coste, Truong, and Greene have transitioned from different international locations to go to school and eventually start their careers in the United States, many Fisher students do the reverse, choosing to attend Fisher and then work internationally. So it was with Tina Lindberg. “My husband gave me a birthday card five weeks after we moved here,” she says, from her new home in South Korea. “It said, ‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.’ If you step out and take the leap, you may be surprised at the things you can learn.”

Lindberg, who received a B.S. in Human Services in 2011, now works as a New Family Liaison at Korea International School (KIS). She earned her degree a little later than most, going back to school at 27. But she found that Fisher was more than willing to accommodate her busy work24 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

ing-mom schedule, with online courses and understanding faculty. “My career had already started when I went to Fisher,” she says. “But I think Fisher more than provided me with a boost to my career. My professors helped me to grow as a human being, too, and that was priceless.”

Before moving to South Korea, Lindberg and her husband, David, Fisher’s former Director of International Admissions and Head Basketball Coach, had never been outside of North America. “I had lived a pretty sheltered life until we left,” she says. “Since being here, though, we have been fortunate to travel to many different countries and really embrace different foods, languages, religions, politics and government, environment, and the cultures of many places.”

Another way of stepping outside of one’s comfort zone is to take advantage of Fisher’s Study Abroad programs.

Employers increasingly value graduates with international experience and education. Edsyl Izzirary, a junior from Puerto Rico, has plans to take advantage of the College’s study abroad program. “I’ll be going on a semester abroad to Italy’s Amalfi Coast,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to go to Italy, and when I heard that Fisher had a program there, I instantly saw that as an opportunity. I am really looking forward to learning more about the culture in a different country and how the education system works there. I am hoping to take away new life insights and experiences.”

“I chose a career not many people think about, and even though it’s hectic, tiring, and can drive you crazy, it’s super rewarding at the end of the day.”

MINH TRUONG ’23 FROM: HANOI, VIETNAM JOB: FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER, HOTEL AKA

“One of the most valuable aspects I gained from Fisher is its unwavering support for both local and international students.”

JUAN FRANCO M.B.A. ’19 FROM: MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA JOB: PROJECT MANAGER, APOLLO SCHOOL OF MUSIC & ARTS

From there, Izzirary will continue courses in her Biology major and ideally head to medical school. “Before I go to medical school, I really want to try out new cultures, take new adventures, and explore new environments. That’s my advice for all international students who come to Fisher, or anywhere in which they feel like a stranger. Be open to new experiences. Immerse yourself in all the new people you meet, the new food you eat, and the new experiences you will encounter. You should try and make your new culture

TERRITORIAL PRIDE

Students from Puerto Rico are an integral part of Fisher.

WHILE THE ISLAND OF PUERTO

Rico is not considered an “international” destination, nor does the school count its Puerto Rican students among its international student body, the many P.R. students who find their way to Fisher infuse the campus with a lively Caribbean flair, not to mention

salsa, merengue, and reggaetón.

“Fisher has a really big and amazing Puerto Rican community,” says junior Ariana Ramos.

“We all know and help each other out. It’s very supportive.” Ramos was drawn to the school’s academic opportunities, its prime location in a great

your own and you can make the world a smaller place.”

Fisher’s Center for International Programs and Services provides many resources for international students, including one-on-one academic advising and immigration assistance. “Fisher is different from other schools in Boston,” says Callanan. “We prioritize, support, encourage, and uplift our students to be their best selves, while giving them the tools to build their careers. Our students will inevitably change the world we live in.”

American city, and the promise of playing a collegiate sport. In fact, many athletes in Fisher’s sports programs have Puerto Rican roots, including nearly 40 percent of the school’s baseball team. Ramos plays on the women’s basketball team. “I did not intend to study far from home,” she admits. “However, when I saw the women’s basketball program at the school and saw the great opportunity it was, I chose to come to Fisher and Boston.”

Students from Puerto Rico are

a part of the College’s commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and expansion. “Fisher had everything that I was looking for,” says Edsyl Izzirary, captain of the women’s volleyball team. “It was in the city, had small classes, a competitive volleyball team, and an international cultural scene.”

“We come from all parts of the island,” says Ramos.

“Thanks to studying at Fisher, we have created friendships that never would have happened if we stayed back home.” –BG 2023 / Fisher College Magazine 25

FORMER ASSISTANT BASEBALL COACH JOSE DIAZ ’09, M.B.A. ’16 AND RETIRED RED SOX PITCHER MANNY DELCARMEN HAVE TEAMED UP TO CREATE THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ACADEMY, GIVING STUDENT ATHLETES WHAT THEY NEED TO EXCEL ON THE FIELD AND IN THE CLASSROOM.

DOUBLE HEADER

BY BOB CURLEY

Photographs by CHRISTOPHER CHURCHILL

26

Jose Diaz, left, and Manny Delcarmen are the cofounders of the Boston Athletic Academy, launched in 2021 with the mission of educating and training under-served student athletes.

Growing up in Boston, Jose Diaz and Manny Delcarmen shared the dream of playing baseball, hopping on their bikes every day after school to play in games and leagues all across the city.

“I don’t think there’s a field in Boston we didn’t play on,” recalls Diaz.

Based in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood, the program offers a mix of instruction on the field and in the classroom—everything from base-running clinics to help writing applications for college admissions and financial aid.

The dedication paid off: Diaz ended up playing baseball in college, reaching the NAIA World Series with Tennessee’s Cumberland University before wrapping up his career at Fisher College, while Delcarmen’s journey took him all the way to the major leagues, where he played for the World Series champion Boston Red Sox in 2007.

Now the two are teammates again, this time for a cause that transcends the baseball diamond. Diaz and Delcarmen are the cofounders of the Boston Athletic Academy, launched in 2021 with the mission of educating and training urban youth. Based in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood, the program offers a mix of instruction on the field and in the classroom—everything from base-running clinics to help writing applications for college admissions and financial aid.

“We grew up playing stickball in the street,” says Delcarmen. “We’re just trying to give students who are struggling academically a bridge with the game of baseball, which gave us everything.”

“A lot of what we do now is personal, because we lived it,” adds Diaz, who earned a B.S. in 2009 and an M.B.A. in 2016. The Academy sponsors seven baseball teams at various age levels—some coached by Diaz and Delcarmen themselves. The rosters include both men’s teenage sons, but spots in the lineup are not guaranteed. Part of the price of playing is having report cards checked by the coaches; students who are struggling academically can get extra help but also may sit on the bench if they don’t work to improve their grades.

The program has been a home run, attracting hundreds of student athletes through on-site programming and onfield competition. In addition to sponsors like the Intercity Baseball League, New Balance, and the Boston Red Sox Foundation, the Boston Athletic Academy has forged partnerships with the Boston Public Schools and the Boston

28 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

Marathon, the latter emerging as a major fundraiser for the 501(c)(3) Academy.

Golf and bowling tournaments leverage Delcarmen’s celebrity status as “the Pride of Hyde Park”—one of just a handful of Major League Baseball players to ever be drafted out of the Boston public school system.

Among the program’s moral and financial supporters is Marty Walsh, who served as Boston mayor from 2014 to 2021, followed that up with a stint as U.S. Secretary of Labor, and is currently the head of the National Hockey League’s Players Association.

A native of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Walsh first met Delcarmen when he pitched for the Red Sox. As mayor, Walsh played in charity golf tournaments organized by Delcarmen and continued his support when Delcarmen and Diaz launched the Boston Athletic Academy. Walsh credits Delcarmen’s tenacity for helping to make the program a success.

“His whole baseball career he had to fight to make the major leagues,” says Walsh. “He’s laser-focused on the Academy. He’s not doing it for his ego or to build his own brand; he’s there working with these kids every day.”

“While Manny became a local hero at the professional level, winning a World Series with the hometown team, Jose is a hero in his own right, being one of the only players from their West Roxbury High School class to start and finish his college degree.”

SCOTT DULIN, FISHER COLLEGE HEAD BASEBALL COACH

Fisher College baseball coach Scott Dulin calls Diaz and Delcarmen—who have served as Falcons assistant coaches—“true success stories for the city of Boston.”

“While Manny became a local hero at the professional level, winning a World Series with the hometown team, Jose is a hero in his own right, finishing his collegiate playing career in right field with the Falcons and earning his college degree,” says Dulin. “Both went in different directions to be successful, which is what makes them such a great pair. Their love for baseball, their city, and helping others, coupled with successful life experience, makes them so valuable to the youth that they train and mentor.”

The founding principles of the Boston Athletic Academy include providing an environment that, as the website’s mission statement says, recognizes student athletes’ “culture, language, customs, and most importantly, their growth potential as individuals.” Diaz and Delcarmen, who came from towns with a history of gang rivalry before attending West Roxbury High School together, are particularly attuned to the challenges facing kids of Latino heritage.

However, the Academy has also received a surge in interest from suburban students and their families, providing an unexpected opportunity for kids from diverse backgrounds to interact with and learn from each other, says Diaz.

“This is a safe and comfortable place for them to compete, but now we see these kids helping each other with their homework,” says Diaz. “These kids might never have crossed paths without these teams. Now their parents are going to barbecues together in the suburbs and parties in the city. The suburban kids learn what these inner-city kids go through, and the city kids get an understanding of what life is like in the suburbs.”

Walsh says the fact that the program is attracting such a diverse group of athletes is a testament to its quality. “It shows that it’s well-run,” he says. “Parents know what’s working and what’s not.”

The Boston Athletic Academy grew out of Diaz’s senior project at Fisher College, where he enrolled as a transfer student in his senior year and later earned his M.B.A. Both

“Fisher did everything for me, from my playing to my coaching to working in the admissions office. It’s the reason I’m able to do what I do now—they educated me and gave me an opportunity.

The school made me a better person and a better man.”

JOSE DIAZ

leaders have obvious pedigrees for teaching about baseball, but Diaz has also worked for more than 10 years as an admissions counselor at Fisher and at Massasoit Community College, giving him particular insight into the college prep and funding process.

While Diaz and Delcarmen wanted to create a program that was affordable to low-income families, they also stress the importance of having participants buy into the program by contributing financially according to their means.

“Nothing in this world is free, so that wouldn’t be setting them up for success,” says Diaz. “We wanted to hold them a little accountable.”

Another piece of accountability comes in the form of the occasional brutally honest conversation between the street-smart coaches and the players, who “sometimes think they know everything,” says Delcarmen. “When these kids come to us, they can’t lie to us.We have eyes in the street, and we’ve been where they are, so they can’t fool us.”

The Academy welcomes both boys and girls—baseball and softball players alike—but the doors of the facility in Hyde Park are open to nonathletes, too. “We want the ballplayers to come by, but if you just want a place to vibe out, that’s okay, too,” says Diaz. “We have kids who’ve never played baseball in their lives, but through mentoring, they get confidence and learn about themselves.”

In addition to Diaz and Delcarmen, the Academy currently has two other employees who are former minor league baseball players. The program’s success right out of the gate already has the founders looking for a bigger facility so they can accommodate the 300-plus kids who pass through the doors on a daily basis. “Hopefully we continue to grow, because the city needs this,” says Diaz.

Other items on the to-do list include recruiting someone to coach softball players, which will include Delcarmen’s 13-year-old daughter. “She will be my first recruit,” he says.

With the program firmly established, Delcarmen plans to step up his fundraising appeals to former teammates, as well. “It was an idea; now it’s substance,” he says.

Both program founders credit Fisher College for playing a crucial role in bringing the Boston Athletic Academy from idea to iteration.

“Fisher did everything for me, from my playing to my coaching to working in the admissions office,” says Diaz.

“It’s the reason I’m able to do what I do now—they educated me and gave me an opportunity. The school made me a better person and a better man.”

After 17 years of playing professional baseball and earning a World Series ring, Delcarmen still looks back fondly on coming to Fraser Field to watch Diaz and his brother Eddy ’09 play baseball, as well as the season he served as a pitching instructor under Coach Dulin.

“I wasn’t a Falcon for very long,” he observes, “but I still say I was a Falcon.”

The Academy sponsors seven baseball teams at various age levels—some coached by Diaz and Delcarmen themselves. The rosters include both men’s teenage sons, but spots in the lineup are not guaranteed.

Part of the price of playing is having report cards checked by the coaches; students who are struggling academically can get extra help but also may sit on the bench if they don’t work to improve their grades.

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 31

Join the Fun!

Join fellow alumni, friends, classmates, and colleagues in celebrating Fisher!

No matter when you graduated or what degree you earned, club you joined, sport you played, or friends you made while you were here, the thread that binds us together is we are Fisher Falcons for life.

FISHER COLLEGE DAY OF GIVING

Fisher College’s Day of Giving honors and acknowledges the College’s move to Beacon Street in 1939 and its 85 years in the Back Bay. We encourage you to contribute in any way you can!

March 9, 2024 fisher.edu/give DRAMA CLUB REUNION

Celebrating 20 years of Fisher College’s Drama Club.

April 6, 2024 Save the Dates!

34 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

WHAT’S INSIDE: ALUMNI NEWS 34 / PURSUITS 36 / ADVANCING FISHER 38

BEYOND

Fisher 2023: By the Numbers

1,903 663 113 615 Total Fisher students

Day undergraduates

Alumni News

Never Give Up Life wasn’t easy for Cynthia McGuigan, A.S. ’85, ’12, but she gives Fisher College credit for helping her turn it all around.

BY PAUL A M . B O DA H IF YOU HAD TOLD A TEENAGED CYNTHIA

McGuigan that one day she would hold a position at Harvard University as a financial associate, she would likely have laughed. If you had told her she would earn a master’s degree from that same esteemed institution, she might have assumed you were confusing her with someone else. After all, this was the girl whose guidance counselor told her she wasn’t college material.

Life felt unsettled and sometimes bleak for the teen who lived in five foster homes over four years. Still, she had an inner resilience that made her determined to succeed. “I knew I needed a job where I could support myself if I was alone,” she says. She was about to join the Air Force to become an air traffic controller when she discovered she was pregnant.

Pregnancy sent her on a different path.

She decided to study accounting, looking to Fisher because the school didn’t require the Cynthia McGuigan earned an associate degree in Accounting in 1985 and returned to Fisher to earn her B.S. in Management in 2012. “I would get up at 1 a.m. to do my studying,” she says, laughing at the memory. It also helps, she says, that Fisher offered many of its classes online.

Photograph by Christopher Churchill

SAT. “I toured the College, and it felt so welcoming,” she says. She and her boyfriend felt ill-equipped to be parents and chose to give their child up for adoption. Two weeks after giving birth, McGuigan became a student at Fisher. Eventually, she shared her story with her roommates. “They had so much compassion,” she says. “Fisher was such a healing place for me.”

McGuigan earned an associate degree in Accounting and began a career journey that led to a job at Harvard in 1990. In 2007, now married to that high school boyfriend and the mother of three daughters, she returned to Fisher to earn her B.S. in Management. “I would get up at 1 a.m. to do my studying, get the kids off to their three different schools, then head to the train station to get to work,” she says, laughing at the memory. “Luckily, I have a very supportive husband.” It also helps, she says, that Fisher offered many of its classes online.

Her life experiences led McGuigan to think often about the psychological impacts of foster care and adoption, and piqued her interest in the field of psychology. Working at Harvard meant she could take classes for free, so she tried a psych class. The A-plus she got gave her the confidence to continue, and eight years later she earned a master’s in liberal arts with a concentration in psychology. The nonprofit groups related to foster care and adoption that she has long been involved with have no doubt benefitted from the unique perspective her background and education give her.

McGuigan keeps a favorite photograph from the day in 2012 that she was awarded her bachelor’s degree. She wears her cap and gown and stands touching the door at 133 Beacon Street, the dorm she first entered as an 18-year-old. “I’ve had a blessed life,” she says, “and Fisher had so much to do with that.”

Master’s degree students

Graduate and Professional Studies students

322 38%

Students who live on campus

Increase in students enrolled in Information Technology

18%

Increase in students enrolled in Entrepreneurship

50%

Increase in students enrolled in Marketing

8%

Increase in students enrolled in Psychology

25%

Increase in students enrolled in Human Services with an Early Childhood Education concentration

48 49

Countries represented by students

U.S. States and territories represented by students 2023 / Fisher College Magazine 35

BEYOND / PURSUITS

Urban Outfitter An entrepreneurial spirit and a love of Boston have led to success for real estate broker Ben Robbie ’09.

BY PAUL A M . B O DA H

Courting Success Darien Lavino ’19 didn’t plan on going to college at

all. She graduated from a vocational high school with licenses in sheet metal and welding, and intended to go straight into the workforce. Her mom had other ideas.

“She was really gung-ho about college,” Lavino says.

After being accepted at Fisher, Lavino, who grew up in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, took advantage of an overnight orientation at the College. “I thought it was so cool,” she says. “I loved that it was in Boston and had a soccer program. As much as I hated to admit it, my mother was right.”

From that moment on, she was fully committed to Fisher and to her studies as a criminal justice major. Dur36 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

Ben Robbie ’09 was a junior at Fisher transaction, so people know things College when he and a roommate are getting done right.” decided to try their hand at real esGrowing up in the tiny central tate. “We bought a condo in Brighton, Massachusetts town of West Boylston, renovated it, sold it, and made a profit. Robbie knew he wanted to go to colI was the richest kid on campus,” he lege in a more urban environment. A recalls with a laugh. He got his real tour of Fisher College convinced him estate license in 2007, and six months it was the place for him. “I loved the after earning his degree in Managebrownstone dorms. It’s a cool campus ment he opened his own company, in a cool location,” he says.

Benjamin Apartments. “Most of the For a small-town kid who wanted agents and brokers wanted to sell to experience city life, Fisher offered the million-dollar properties,” he the perfect environment. “Living right explains. “I saw a niche for rentals.” there in the city and being exposed to He’s still the go-to guy for renting so many different cultures and types apartments in the Boston area, but of people—it really prepared me for today his company is called Benjalife,” he says. At the same time, he min Apartments + Cityside Homes, adds, “Fisher really feels like a comand Robbie is as likely to oversee a munity. The teachers all know your multi-million-dollar sales transaction name and you get to know so many as he is a rental agreement. His firm of the other students. I’m still friends also offers property management with a lot of the people I met there.” services for homeowners and rental Robbie maintains his connection property owners. In the past 14 years, with Fisher, sponsoring events in the Robbie says he’s brokered more than business program’s speaker series, 5,000 real estate transactions from and pursuing the idea of offering inapartment rentals to home sales to ternships to Fisher students who are commercial leases. interested in real estate.

Robbie was a one-man show when Living in Boston for the past 18 he first started. Today he has 25 to years has given him an edge in the 30 agents at any given time. “We business, Robbie observes. “When try to stay at that level, in a space you’re buying or selling or renting, that’s manageable, so that I can still you really want a knowledgeable be hands-on,” he says. “I still look person working with you,” he says. through the paperwork for every “That’s the expertise I have.”

ing her senior year, she got an internship at Boston’s Edward W. Brooke Courthouse in the juvenile courts office. “I thought I was going to be making coffee,” she says, “I didn’t anticipate that I’d be sitting in on hearings and civil sessions and adoptions. It was so fulfilling. I didn’t want to leave.”

She didn’t leave, really. A month after she graduated, she was back as a case specialist, and these days she’s Head Account Clerk with ambitions of becoming an assistant clerk magistrate one day. “It’s absolutely fun,” Lavino says. “I never do the same thing every day.”

She has nothing but praise for Fisher and its faculty.

“It’s so hands-on. The professors are amazing. They all have real-life experiences they can talk to you about.

I’m totally biased, but it’s such a great school.” –PMB

The Puzzle*

Major League

Fisher College offers undergraduate and graduate students a wealth of degree programs.

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13 17

25

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41

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46 50

56

52

67

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41. BIRDS AND BEES STUDY 43. AMERICANS SHOULD BE GOOD AT IT

71. 2016 candidate Marco

11. “Trap House” rapper Mane

72. “@#$%!,” e.g.

12. Like a pitcher’s perfect game

74. Ziegfeld and Andy Capp’s wife

16. Big name in electronics 18. Goes on and on 22. Detention camp

46. “Your majesty”

17. IT OR SPORTS CAREER

48. “ shy”

19. “Dos” cubed

49. “1000 Forms of Fear” singer

2. “Flat-out fun” tablet

51. Packing info: abbr.

”

50. “ of barren ground” (The Tempest) 52. Radial, e.g.

54. Bicep exercise 55. Early night for many a college student

27.

Hulka (“Stripes” role)

56. STUDIES WITH 54 ACROSS

28. Rich kid in “Nancy”

57. Bidirectional, as a door

29. “Briefly,” briefly

Olay (former 58. name for a face cream brand)

53. “Bingo!”

54. INTERCHANGE OF THOUGHTS

4. Words before cost or time

30.

24. COPS ON THE ’NET

59. One overseas

5. Anguish

60. “Bambi” villain

36. Sealy competitor

29. It’s south of Eur. 31. EPA concern

61. Houston campus, for short

6. “A Nightmare on Street”

38. Important college support

Photographs by Christopher Churchill

47. “Murder,

26. Actors Calhoun and Culkin

23. Baseball’s Reds, on scoreboards

66. FORMAL ADVISING

44. Colorful salamander

1. Persian poet who wrote the “Spiritual Couplets”

21. Short smoke

64. Makeover

42. Source of a national problem

25. Slate, e.g.

3. Class assembled to take a difficult final?

33. “I touched your nose!” sound

8. “Back to the Future” event 9. Attract

April 6, 2024 / Drama Club Reunion Production April 7, 2024 / Accepted Students Day

Down

7. Drone, e.g.

December 7, 2023 / Young Alumni Holiday Pub Night

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10. Altar avowal

15. Couples

32. “Telephone Line” rock group

63

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70. Animal house

45. Choose a new route bitten, twice

62

74

73. THE ART OF PROMOTION

November 28, 2023 / Giving Tuesday: Make a Difference in the Lives of Our Students by Donating to Fisher College

March 9, 2024 / Fisher College Giving Day: Give for 118 Beacon Street and the Memories Made

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73

37. Some sports cars, for short

40

53

61 66

39

48

51

14. Big name in fake fat

20. “Frozen” star Menzel

47

71

35. THEY MIGHT BE LIBERAL

38

44

60

70

16

23

37

57

65

Events

12

28

43

45

55

11

32 35

49

22

27

42

64

13. “Remember to look the stars and not down at your feet”: Hawking

26

31

30

59

5. SPIDER’S SKILL SET

10

19 21

33

*For solution, go to fisher.edu/ fishertoday.

9

18

24 29

8

15

20

54

1. Kelly who co-hosts “Live!”

7

14

BY DO N N A H O K E

Across

6

gras

34. Blood part

39. “In the Beginning” author Sholem 40. 1973 World Series stadium

62. Inner: prefix 63. Cries of aversion 65. “Catch-22” pilot 67. Cicero’s “Where?”

68. Diarist Anais 69. Saturate, in dialect

April 10, 2024 / Fisher Alumni Night Out to the Theater Company at the Citizens Bank Opera House April 26, 2024 / Alumni Luncheon: Classes of the ’80s and ’90s May 11, 2024 / Undergraduate Commencement June 11, 2024 / Alumni Luncheon: Classes of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s June 26, 2024 / Graduate Commencement

For details, contact the Alumni Office by email at alumni@ fisher.edu or phone 617-670-4419.

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 37

BEYOND / ADVANCING FISHER

Donor Q+A

Dr. Janet Kuser

Fisher’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Chief Academic Officer on why she gives to the school.

What drew you to work at Fisher College? I began teach-

ing at Fisher in September of 2001, and quickly became entrenched in the Fisher community and the role it played in the higher education landscape. I enjoyed being around the students and I realized that in some small way I could play a part in their professional development.

How does your prior experience help you in your role at Fisher? I loved my time in the

hospitality industry, and it was my training ground in management.

The future College President, Dr. Thomas McGovern, took a chance on me because he believed my experience as an executive in a large organization would be valuable to our students. I believe my business skills have contributed to the advances we’ve achieved in the development of high-quality academic programs, including our successful entry into the graduate market, and the implementation of structured policies and procedures and responsible management practices.

Are your donations to Fisher earmarked for any specific purpose? My contributions have

always been left to the greatest area of need. My hope is that they support the mission of the College which inspires me every day.

What most impresses you about Fisher? There are many

people, including much of the executive team, who have been here for a large part of their career.

That tells me it’s a special and meaningful place to work. What we do matters, and it has been my privilege to be a part of it. To donate, please visit fisher.edu/ give. –Paula M. Bodah

38 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

“My contributions have always been left to the greatest area of need. My hope is that they support the mission of the College which inspires me every day.”

DR. JANET KUSER

Photographs by Christopher Churchill

Donor Profile

Dr. Dean Walton Capped Off a 35-Year Career at Fisher by Joining Its Board of Trustees Fisher College has certainly changed since Dr. Dean Walton came on board as an English professor in 1981. “It was a two-year women’s college, then four-year, then coed, and now we offer master’s degrees,” he says. “It’s been something to watch.”Over the years, Walton has worn many

hats: professor, English department chair, Dean of Academic Affairs, Assistant Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and now, as part of a busy retirement, a member of the Board of Trustees. He’s been happy to offer his time and talent to Fisher in every capacity, but confesses a special fondness for being in the classroom. “In teaching, there’s something new every day. It’s always a challenge,” he says.

Being a trustee means being able to continue giving to the college and its students. “I think about my students all the time,” he says. “I may not remember every name, but I remember that every one of them was wonderful. Being a trustee is a nice way to stay connected.” –PMB

Spot the Difference*

Book Club

How students do research has changed as much as clothing styles in the year since this picture of a student in the Fisher library was taken at the dawn of the 1960s.

Fisher Junior College was proud of its library when this photograph was taken in the early 1960s. The magnificent hand-carved rosewood shelves held more than 5,000 books, after all. Today the Fisher College library is not just physically larger, it’s a true state-of-the-art gateway to information with access to millions of books, periodicals, and databases. See if you can spot the nine changes with a second look

*For solution, go to fisher.edu/ fishertoday.

at this image of the Fisher Junior College library.

2023 / Fisher College Magazine 39

Artifact

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MEMORABILIA FROM THE CLASS OF 1957 Back in 1957, Fisher was a junior college solely for young women. Students wore skirts and dresses, a $50 scholarship went a long way, and the academic emphasis was on secretarial work, with a smattering of liberal arts and current events for a well-rounded education. A lot has changed since then, but we were able to take a walk down memory lane when the daughter of 1957 grad June Shirley Mather came by to share her late mother’s cherished keepsakes from her time as a Fisher student. Life at Fisher may be different now, but students are still making happy memories. —Paula M. Bodah 40 Fisher College Magazine / 2023

1 / 1957 Beacon yearbook.

2 / June Shirley Mather’s acceptance letter and news of her $50 scholarship. 3 / Mather’s diploma showing her associates in Foreign Trade.

4 / The Fisher Junior College Bulletin and course catalog for 1957. 5 / June’s photo in the 1957 yearbook. 6 / Sheet music for the school song, “Fisher Alma Mater.”

Photographs by Christopher Churchill

Are you ready to make a difference to Fisher students for generations to come?

For 120 years, Fisher College has been transforming the lives of students and their families.

Your contribution ensures that more of our students will learn to think critically, work together, and discover their potential, so that by the time they graduate, they are ready to take on the world.

Solidifying the future of Fisher can be simple and satisfying—and can make a difference in the lives of many students. A planned or deferred gift is one that is planned for today and allocated at a future date through a bequest, assignment, trust, charitable gift annuity, or restricted endowment.

Leave your mark on the future of Fisher.

We would be honored to have a conversation about how you can make a difference through a planned gift. We invite you to contact the Office of Advancement & Alumni Engagement at 617-670-4419 or alumni@fisher.edu or visit fisher.edu/give.

Fisher College 118 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02116

Advance Your Career with a Graduate Degree at Fisher College We know you have a busy schedule. Between career plans, family responsibilities, and your social life, your free time is valuable, and we want you to make the most of it. That’s why Fisher fits your busy life, not the other way around.

Small class sizes, one-on-one attention, extensive course offerings, and flexible scheduling allow our students to shape their education to best meet their needs. We offer convenient 8- or 12-week terms, online or on-campus, on your time.

To learn more, visit fisher.edu/academics/graduate.

FISHER GRADUATE PROGRAMS  Master of Business Administration in Strategic

Leadership, offering tracks in Cybersecurity and Healthcare Management (Online or On-Campus)  Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, offering

tracks in Trauma and Addictions Counseling (Hybrid)  Master of Arts in Psychology (Online)  Master of Science in Criminal Justice (Online)  Graduate Certificate in

Addictions Counseling (Online)  Graduate Certificate in

Healthcare Management (Online)