Ascend Leads are junior or senior women who will guide first-year women in weekly small group conversations and group activities throughout the spring semester. Ascend Leads will help first-year women build a great BC experience through community, conversations, and mentorship.
As an Ascend Lead, you will meet weekly with your small group of first-year women, build community, plan small group activities, and talk about the shared experience of being women at BC. Boston College women have the opportunity to build a great experience. Be a part of helping our first-year women reach new heights!
All juniors and senior women are invited to be an Ascend Lead.
Ascend Leads commit to:
- Leads retreat Friday-Sunday, October 13-15, 2023
- All-program overnight Saturday-Sunday, January 27 - 28, 2024
Ascend is a program for first-year women through the Center for Student Formation where participants have an opportunity to meet new peers, engage in meaningful conversations about life at BC, and connect with upperclass women mentors. The program consists of weekly small group meetings (two leads, eight first-year women) facilitated by junior and senior women, small group activities, optional program-wide events, and one off-campus overnight. The program launches in the spring semester, but Leads will start preparing and training during fall semester.
For more information about the Ascend program, or if you have any questions, please contact ascend@bc.edu.
The Center for Student Formation is committed to inclusive programs that welcome all students.
A Freshmen League Captain is a junior or senior male who is interested in leading and mentoring a small group of first-year men. Through regular meetings and monthly outings, League Captains will help first-year students learn how to navigate and succeed at Boston College.
- A junior or senior man at BC.
- A person who wants to (along with a co-captain) mentor a small group of eight freshmen men.
- Someone who is friendly, trustworthy, responsible, and authentic.
In the Fall semester, Captains are required to attend the Captain Retreat in October and then attend 5 meetings with a group of fellow Captains from late October to the beginning of December. These meetings are led by a BC alum who was previously a Captain and provide the training for leading a group of first years in the Spring. These meetings are scheduled around the availability of each group and only last one hour each week.
In the Spring semester, all participants and Captains will attend a program wide off-campus Overnight event during one of two sessions in January. Following the Overnight, Captains will meet once a week throughout the Spring semester with their team to discuss life at BC. These meetings are scheduled around the availability of each group and only last one hour each week. Outside of these weekly meetings, Captains will also plan and attend 3 off-campus outings for their teams using the provided budget and these events are up to the discretion of the Captains of each group. Lastly, Captains will be required to attend monthly meetings with the other 80 Captains for additional program support and formation.
As a Captain you will get to mentor and lead a small group of BC freshmen who will look up to you and seek your advice. You’ll benefit from being part of a group of 80 of the best junior and senior men at BC who have also chosen to serve as Captains. You will be connecting with faculty and staff mentors of your own.
The Center for Student Formation is committed to inclusive programs that welcome all students.
The Center for Student Formation employs four, part-time graduate assistants who are concurrently enrolled in a graduate academic program at BC. These positions are each assigned to support a specific program or area of function within our office.
As these positions coincide with academic graduate programs, they are typically offered for a two year contract cycle and therefore we are not hiring for these positions annually. For more information on the availability of these positions and details on how to apply, please contact our team by emailing formation@bc.edu.
Halftime Leads help participants understand the themes of Halftime and talk about how to implement these themes into daily life at BC and beyond. If you enjoyed your Halftime experience or would like the opportunity to lead a retreat, you should apply to lead Halftime!
Halftime leaders are responsible for giving a talk and facilitating small groups of participants. Halftime is a free weekend away to share your experiences with others, meet new people, and connect with BC faculty and staff. It will be the job of the leaders to help participants understand the themes of Halftime and talk about how to implement these themes into daily life at BC and beyond.
Lead applications are open to ALL juniors and seniors even if you have not been on Halftime.
Applications to lead Halftime will open at the beginning of the fall semester. You will be contacted for a 30 minute interview in the first few weeks of the fall semester and, if selected, you’ll be placed on the November, February or March Halftimes depending on your availability.
Fall 2023 Halftimes
- November 3 – November 5, 2023
Spring 2024 Halftimes
- February 16 – February 18, 2024
- March 22 – March 24, 2024
All Halftime Leads commit to the following:
1) Leading one full Halftime weekend.
2) Attending 5-6 training meetings with fellow Leads in the 6 weeks leading up to the actual retreat.
3) Participating in one half-day Lead Team Summit.
4) Meeting with the Center for Student Formation staff 2-3 times to craft your Halftime talk.
- If you've gone on Halftime before, you get to go again!
- Have fun working alongside seven peers to go deeper into the 3 Key Questions and prepare to guide others.
- Work with the Center for Student Formation Staff on retreat preparation.
- Develop leadership skills in small group facilitation.
- Develop public speaking skills in talk preparation.
- Gain a solid grasp of the meaning of Halftime and how it fits into Jesuit education.
A Stride Lead is a junior or senior leader interested in helping sophomore students "find their stride" and feel established at BC. Leads will join their small group of co-ed sophomores at three evening events, share their story during Stride Lead panels, and engage in weekly small group discussions.
Stride is a program specifically designed to help sophomores feel established at BC.
The program introduces second-year student leaders and faculty on campus through a lecture and panel series, builds social connections through regular co-ed small groups, and helps students grow as leaders through a formational retreat experience.
The purpose of the sophomore formation program is to help students begin to ask bigger questions about who they are and who they want to be as a person. In order to be a leader, you first have to know yourself. Stride combines an academic, social, and spiritual approach to help second-year students integrate different aspects of their lives on campus.
Applications open March 1, 2023 and close March 29, 2023.
The Stride Lead position is open to all rising juniors (Class of 2025) and seniors (Class of 2024) who want to help sophomores make roots at BC and grow in their self-knowledge and leadership ability.
The Stride program is for the Fall 2023 semester only.
As a Stride Lead, you will be both a mentor and a facilitator for your small group of eight sophomores with another Junior or Senior co-lead.
Stride Leads will:
- Move in early and attend a Lead Training the weekend before classes start
- Participate in a program-wide kick-off event prior to the first day of classes (Saturday)
- Attend 3 evening events: Panels led by Stride Leads who will have the opportunity to share their story with Stride participants.
- Meet weekly with your co-ed group of eight sophomores
- Attend a weekend overnight experience about leadership and vocation called Halftime
Below are the learning outcomes for student participants and student leaders at the Center for Student Formation.
After engagement with the Center for Student Formation, students will be able to...
- Identify one reflective habit that they have integrated into their lives
- Pursue a mentoring relationship with an adult or older peer
- Demonstrate competence in one of the following areas: public speaking, small group facilitation, or mentoring peers