Spencer Steppe

Out of the Boston area’s 4.36 million residents, hundreds of thousands are enrolled as college students. Still, 25 percent of Boston’s young people plan to leave the city in the next five years. For Miles Kelly, BC ’22, the decision to leave Boston boils down to the city’s undergraduate population. Kelly currently lives in Washington D.C., where he moved after graduation.  

The year 2020 is etched into the collective memory of people across the United States. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and moments of racial reckoning across America, 2020 marked the beginning of a major cultural shift in the United States.During this time, Vincent Rougeau, current president of College of the Holy Cross, was serving as the dean of the Boston College Law School. In response to the events of 2020, he helped create and served as the inaugural director of BC’s Forum on Racial Justice in America, which provides space to discuss issues of race and racism. 

On Monday night, 4775 Boston College students received an email with the name of a fellow student who the Boston College Marriage Pact survey determined was their other half. Of course, many of these students won’t so much as meet up for coffee, let alone walk down the aisle together some day. But some people do find their other half at BC. And among that group, an even smaller portion return to BC to get married—there are six different BC-affiliated wedding locations to pick from. 

Selena Marmolejo, MCAS ’25, was playing outside with children at an after-school program in Quito, Ecuador, when she was instructed to leave due to nearby violence. “It was like a movie,” Marmolejo said. “One of the community partners … he was just like, ‘A

In Stayer Hall, one eight-man has a ninth, non-human resident. Buddy, Jesenia Correa’s cat, has lived with her since freshman year. “He has been very helpful in terms of mental health and in terms of homesickness,” Correa, MCAS ’25, said. “I am from so far away and I came here with no friends, not knowing anybody.” 

After getting pickpocketed in Rio de Janeiro, finding a girlfriend in Ecuador, and watching Bruce Springsteen perform in Argentina, Kent Greenfield decided to attend law school.

As someone who grew up alongside a sibling with a genetic disorder, Jonah Kotzen said he is devoted to advocating for individuals with disabilities—a commitment that eventually motivated him to join student government.

Throughout her 25 years at Boston College, Rhonda Frederick has watched the on-campus conversation about Blackness evolve, shaping her identity as well as her colleagues and students. Today, she said she prefers to describe Black identities as “fantastical” and believes discussions around Blackness should be approached with admiration and optimism rather than pity.

“At the end of the day, they’re just turning a blind eye to something that’s obviously happening on campus,” Parra said. “So I think that that is a very ignorant way of treating a student body.”

Faris channeled his frustration and created an online campus marketplace to eliminate waste, effectively kick-starting his app Campi— a private virtual community for every college campus.

People with serious mental illness (SMI) die up to 32 years earlier than the general population, Karen Fortuna, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth College, said.

After almost three months of adjustment, however, Newton has not been the agonizing inconvenience that I had expected. In fact, I prefer to view Newton as my comforting freshman enclave, which holds a special place in my heart that I don’t think Upper Campus would have been able to, and I am determined to make the most of it as we get closer to the spring semester. Whether you loathe Newton Campus or you just want to appreciate it more, I have a few suggestions on how to carve optimism out of the typically dreaded experience. 

The City of Newton looked to promote local businesses and sustainability efforts during day two of the 40th annual Harvest Fair on Oct. 16.

The City of Newton looked to promote local businesses and sustainability efforts during day two of the 40th annual Harvest Fair on Oct. 16.