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Six members of the Boston College Class of 2018 discuss their experience at the Heights.

• A native of Ghana who moved to the U.S. when he was 11, George Boateng came to Boston College with a passion for history. But for him, history is not merely some intellectual exercise fulfilled through perusing academic tomes; it should have, he believes, a personal dimension and an immediacy that fosters engagement. This desire to find and broaden connections has led Boateng to embrace opportunities for leadership, service and fellowship—and for deepening his appreciation of history—throughout his four years at òòò½Ö±²¥. Read more about George.

• Described as the "heart and soul" of the Connell School senior class, Zoe Bosenberg in her role as a faculty assistant has given tours, worked as an actor in the Simulation Laboratory, and helped faculty with a variety of tasks. She credits her extra-curricular activities, the rugby club and Sharps, with helping her get through the rigors of the nursing program. But it is her recent experience as a patient that will likely make her a more compassionate and empathic nurse. Read more about Zoe.

• A first-generation college student, Phat Nguyen migrated at age 10 from the Vietnam countryside to the United States. He came to the Carroll School of Management to pursue a degree in finance, with a strong desire for an education that would enable him to serve the community and the individuals that contributed to his upbringing and development. Along the way, he developed a love for philosophy and realized its importance in his personal life, leading him to pursue it as second major. Nguyen emphasizes that the person he is today is largely due to the sacrifices of his grandparents and parents - especially his grandfather, a prisoner of war for nearly 10 years after the Vietnam War who moved to the U.S. in 1995. Nguyen describes his undergraduate years as among the most transformative and challenging to date. While at Boston College, he continued to serve his local, and other, communities. The concept of "paying it forward" was one of his main inspirations in facing difficult times as an undergraduate. Read more about Phat.

• Mattia Pizzagalli set his sights on becoming a physician when he was a high school student, with the goal of helping patients as both a clinician and a researcher. That interest convinced him to earn his emergency medical technician certification and to participate the past four years in òòò½Ö±²¥ EMS.Ìý He also became an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Associate Professor of Chemistry Eranthie Weerapana, where he studied cysteine-containing proteins as part of the lab's research into cancer and age-related diseases. For his research, Pizzagalli earned a Goldwater Scholarship, which is considered the nation's premier undergraduate award in the sciences. His senior thesis was titled "Towards a Better Understanding of Breast Cancer Pathophysiology: Insights from Mass Spectrometry Platforms Targeting the Mitochondrial Porteome." Fluent in Italian and German, Pizzagalli has also received a 2018 Fulbright Scholar fellowship to study in Austria. Read more about Mattia.

• During her four years at òòò½Ö±²¥, Maren Wilson was as much a teacher as a student, an apt preparation for an aspiring educator. At the Lynch School of Education, Wilson served as a full-practicum student-teacher for third graders at Allston's Jackson Mann School, as well as rising fourth graders as a fellow at the Uncommon Schools Summer Academy in Newark, N.J.. For an academic year and a summer session, she collaborated with Boston Public School science teachers as an assistant STEM instructor for the College Bound program, a pre-collegiate enrichment and support program. As part of her involvement in the Winston Center's Jenks Leadership Program, she helped run an after-school sports program for St. Columbkille Partnership School students, a òòò½Ö±²¥ lab school in Brighton. Within the Lynch School, she worked at the Education Resource Center, which assists students with the integration of fiction/nonfiction books, and educational technology within the K-12 curriculum. Read more about Maren.

• An English major who wrote for her high school newspaper, Emma Winters developed a love of writing poetry while on the Boston College campus. She also has taken an active role in campus ministry during her time at òòò½Ö±²¥ by leading various retreats and has met some of her best friends through that involvement. Now, she is looking forward to moving to New York City after graduation, where she will be an O'Hare Postgraduate Media Fellow with America Media, publisher of the weekly Jesuit magazine America, where she interned last summer. Read more about Emma.
  

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–University Communications | May 2018