By
Sarah Onori
Hometown: Cary, NC
Majors: Communication and sociology
Notable Activities/Achievements: UGBC senator; Rhodes Scholarship nominee; treasurer of the African Student Organization; conducted research in Italy on the connection between food and Italian families’ social structure; tutored students at the MATCH Charter High School; intern at Nixon Peabody LLC; BC representative in New England Sports Network quiz show “Schooled”; tour guide for Undergraduate Admission Office.
Post-graduation plans: Attend law school at Northeastern University
Overview: Growing up the youngest of nine in a small town in North Carolina, Onori seldom had to think about her next move. She said a decision to come to Boston, BC in particular, was the first step in “finding her voice.” Academically gifted, this diehard Tarheels fan-turned Eagle became active in UGBC, serving as a senator. She also got involved with Peer Health Exchange, a program that works with high schools lacking health education and where the majority of the students live at or below the poverty line. Onori said BC has helped her redefine herself and her future.
Q: What made you come to BC?
I really wanted to get out of the “Southern bubble” and see what life was like beyond it. I was looking at schools in Boston and BC was the only campus where I actually went on the campus tour. My guide was so phenomenal that I was convinced that this is the school where I needed to be. Once here, I thought I had the personality and the voice to be the face of the University for other incoming students, so I became a tour guide. It was the best summer job.
Q: What experience stands out?
For as long as I remember, I have always wanted to travel to Italy. My favorite place in Boston is the North End. Through two scholarships – the Amanda V. Houston Fellowship and the McGillycuddy-Logue Travel Grant – I was able to fulfill that dream. I studied at the University of Parma and lived with an Italian host mom. It was through that experience that I found my research topic, which combined Italian culture, food and women’s roles in society. I was able to spend five months abroad and came back with a better sense of my own identity.
Q: Who have been your most influential mentors at BC?
Professor Dale Herbeck and Associate Professor Donald Fishman. I took my communication law courses with them and I developed a passion for intellectual property law. The only way I can describe it was to say that their classes intrigued me. I knew I was going to learn something when I walked in the door.
Also, my public speaking teacher, Peter Nowak. We developed a great bond.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?
There are so many things I have participated in and experienced, but I am most proud of the fact that I have lost 90 pounds since my freshman year. I was an obese child and when I came to Boston College, I was blown away at the level of fitness and the focus on health. I remember standing in front of a mirror and thinking that this body was holding me back and this is not who God wanted me to be. So I started going to the Plex and started with the stationary bike. Then, I started to lift weights and take a few classes. Last semester I finished my first 5K. I’ve made eating well a priority. And so in many ways, BC has changed my life completely.
Q: What will you miss most?
The sports and the people. I’m a huge football fan and I will miss sitting in the student section – wearing the matching shirts, singing the songs, being part of that experience. Now, I’ll have to sit in the alumni section, wishing I were in the student section with y’all.
To read our final "Six to Remember" student profile, mentor and scholar Kristin Borrero, click here.