Rise

Nadia Abuelezam
Assistant Professor, William F. Connell School of Nursing

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Northern California right outside of San Francisco (Millbrae, CA). I also spent four teenage years in Arizona before moving back to the Bay Area. Schooling brought me to Boston and love has kept me here.

What path brought you to BC?
I came to Boston to pursue a doctorate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. After finishing my degree in Epidemiology, I stayed at Harvard for a 2 year post-doc. I enjoyed teaching but felt I wasn’t being supported (in a teaching capacity) at Harvard and so I decided to look for other opportunities. I was an adjunct at BC for a year before applying for a full-time tenure-track position! I’ve been at BC for three full years and this will be my fourth.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am really interested in trying to understand (and prevent) health disparities in under-studied communities in the United States. I have a particular interest in Arab and Muslim American health because this group, in particular, has been historically understudied. This is a new field for me, but it is very exciting!

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
If it is early morning, you can find me at Crossfit TILT II in Sudbury where I work out 6 days a week at 6:30AM. Otherwise, you can find me hanging out with my husband in our backyard reading (or gardening), watching some Netflix in our living room, or at church.

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I organize family night every month at my church and I also teach 7th grade Sunday School every week. I spend a great deal of my time in church and find that it re-centers me after a hectic week at work.

Who is your hero? Why?
My mother is my hero. She has spent her entire life sacrificing for those around her. She had to forsake her education when she was young so she could work to support her refugee household. She also put her ambitions on hold to raise my sister and me. I feel like I owe her a great deal and I still have a great deal to learn from her about how to live selflessly.

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
One of my professional mentors is Dr. Sandro Galea, the dean at the BU School of Public Health. I actually emailed him on a whim when I read one of his papers (and my mind was blown!). He was kind enough to email me back and since then we’ve worked on a number of papers and grants together. I meet with him once every few months and he always provides me with honest and compassionate feedback on my career and my priorities. I know he is beyond busy and I am very lucky to be able to work and chat with him as often as I do.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
An elevated outhouse in rural Uganda.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
Exercise and peanut butter. I exercise to eat peanut butter and I eat peanut butter to stay sane!

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
So many things! I’d love to do a pullup! Write a book! I’d also like to spend a summer completely and utterly offline and on vacation!


Rhonda Frederick
Associate Professor, English and African & African Diaspora Studies

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now? 
I was born in Colón, Panama. Both of my parents were born and raised in Colón, but moved to the US in the late 1950s. My older brother was born in NY in 1963. I suppose I was scheduled to be born in the same place, but my grandfather (my mother’s father), got sick and my mother had to go see about him. Doctors said she was too pregnant to return to NY, so I was born in Panama by accident. My mother and I returned to NY when I was 6 months old.

What path brought you to BC? 
When I interviewed for a job in the English Department, I was so sure that it was going to go to a former classmate that I was completely comfortable and free. Imagine my surprise when I was offered the job?!?! I guess I made a good impression.

What are you most passionate about professionally? 
Interpreting and living in the world through my experiences with literature

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
I love to watch TV, I love music, I love to explore new and different places (local and in the world)

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about? 
I respect Habitat for Humanity and Planned Parenthood, but of late, I spend most of my free time seeing about the mother.

Who is your hero? Why?
It doesn’t pay to have heroes, they disappoint you every time.

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them? 
I don’t think I ever had a formal mentoring relationship, but I’ve had plenty of informal ones: every one of my women friends taught me something

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited? 
Bath, Jamaica: I was outside in a hot spring in my one piece bathing suit, taking a bath (washing my body with soap and hot springs water!) with strangers.

What would be impossible for you to give up? 
My shoes, all 200+ of them!

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die? 
Carefree travel in the world


Mary French
University Registrar

Where did you grow up?
I grew up moving every two years (GA, SC, AL, LA) until I was in junior high. At that time we moved to Wilton, Maine where my parents still have a home and live in the summer months. I have now lived in Massachusetts for the last 27 years.

Why aren’t you there now?
I left Maine for college and have not lived there since. It’s very rural where I grew up and there are not a lot of job opportunities there. I enjoyed growing up in Maine but opportunities there are somewhat limited and I wanted a different experience for my family. The area in Maine where I grew up has also fallen on harder times and it’s not as populated or prosperous as it was when I lived there.

What path brought you to BC?
Once I decided I wanted to remain in higher education as my career I looked for a place to work that had the values and work culture that I felt fit me and what I believe in- I found that place in BC. I have now spent the majority of my career here and still feel excited to come to work every day.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
I like the environment at BC where students want to work hard and do well but I also appreciate the balance that BC tries to help students find in their lives (academics, extracurricular, spiritual). I recently made a significant job change at BC. After 25 years of working in undergraduate admission with transfer students, I have moved to the Office of Student Services as the University Registrar. I am excited to be working in a new area and to have new challenges. I hope to continue to help BC students make the most of their time on the Heights.

Where can we find you when you’re not working?
I love sports so you will often find me spending time at the gym or outside- running, biking, golfing, standup paddle boarding, skiing, etc. I also like to watch sports (football, college basketball). I enjoy and do a lot of reading as well. Historical fiction is my favorite genre. I am also a pretty avid gardener (flowers).

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I have volunteered for years teaching Sunday school at our church and I have coached both my son’s basketball teams and served on athletic boards in my town. I have recently considered running for school committee in my town.

Who is your hero?
I have great respect for people who serve in public office. With the way politics are today, anyone who willingly takes on the task of running for office and serving has to be very committed to serving the greater good. It seems like a bit of a thankless job today.

Who is your mentor?
I have a number of mentors—my boss, my older sister, colleagues in my field at other colleges.

How did you connect with him/her?
Boss and sister are pretty self-explanatory, colleagues from other schools mostly from professional organizations I belong to.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
Venice Italy—city built on water! Nothing like it! Also, I love hiking and recently visited the Grand Canyon—it was crazy to hike down first and up after—reverse of a usual mountain climb! Unusual and great.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
My family. I have two boys (19 and 22) and a loving husband. I value my independence, but also realize my life would feel incomplete without my family. And coffee, can’t live without coffee. And wine…

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I’d love to invent something useful that becomes wildly popular (think post it notes, crocs). Nice to a have legacy that carries on after me. I also hope that I have given my kids the academic, moral and spiritual foundation they need to navigate the world and life happy fulfilled lives.

Jocelyn Gates
Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
Wilmington, Delaware. Because I couldn’t wait to get out of Delaware and experience new places and meet new people. My career requires me to move around in order to move up— and there are currently no schools in Delaware that compare to the level I desire to work at in this place in my career.

What path brought you to BC?
In the past couple of years, I have been saying there are two people I would leave my job for while I was working at the University of South Florida. One of those people happened to call me about an opportunity at BC—and that person was Martin Jarmond, current director of Athletics here at BC. When he called me, it was a no brainer that I wanted to come work for him. And the cherry on top is that it’s at BC, which is a school in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)—one of the conferences in college athletics.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
Helping college students reach their full potential. Also, I’m extremely passionate about helping people of color, and showing them that there are faces like their own in high-level positions. I want them to know they have someone to come to that may understand some of the struggles they experience. Lastly, I’m a “girl’s girl” and I truly believe in uplifting and helping other women.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
Right now, I have an almost 2 year old, so you will find me playing with him on the weekends! Additionally, I’m a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, so you will see me spending time with my sorority sisters and doing community service in the greater Boston area. Lastly, I love to travel, so I’m away most weekends or at a sporting event cheering our Eagles on!

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
Giving back to underrepresented communities! And I’m fortunate to be able to do this along with my sorority.

Who is your hero? Why?
Totally cliché – but my parents. They are amazing and have been married 44 years, which is something I pray my husband and I will reach. My mom took care of the entire household while my father worked. My brother and I wanted for nothing and got everything we needed. I’m so thankful to have them as examples of who I strive to be.

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I have two mentors: Stan Wilcox (athletic director of Florida State University) and Kevin White (athletic director of Duke University). I was fortunate to work with both of them. They have guided me and counseled me in my career and in life. I will go further and say they are more than mentors, they are my “Champions”. They make calls on my behalf without me even having to ask. I think everyone should find a “Champion” in their life.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
I’ve visited a lot of places, none of which have been unusual though. So I’m no fun with this question!

What would be impossible for you to give up?
My cell phone. I don’t live near my family. My husband lives in Cleveland, OH. It’s my only way to communicate with the people who are closest to me.

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Raising my family and watching my husband win a National Championship in Men’s Basketball (he is the head coach at Cleveland State University). And since being a coach’s wife is hard work, that would be an accomplishment of mine to see him get there!

Helen Ha
Assistant Director, Academic Advising Center

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?  X
I grew up in Los Angeles, CA. I moved to Boston for a job at BC about 10 years ago and never left. I miss my family and friends in California, but over the last decade, I found community out here in Boston, met my husband, and had our kids here. I think there is a chance that one day we might move to the West Coast, but for now, Boston is home for me!

What path brought you to BC?
I was job searching after grad school and decided to apply to a job at BC on a whim. I think I was going through a quarter-life crisis and wanted to venture out of California—even if it was just for a few years. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Prior to working in higher education, I worked in corporate event planning and non-profit/ministry. I call those years my “wandering years”—they were some of my most formative years as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
In my current role, I am passionate about helping students remove barriers and get the support they need as they navigate their time at BC. I was the first in my family to go to college in the United States and I also grew up in a low-income household so I found my way through college with the help of some key people at my undergraduate institution. I would not have made it without them so I hope to do what they did for me and just walk with students as they’re moving through their college career.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
When I am not working during the week, I am usually with my family. I have two very young kids right now so our life feels like a disorganized circus, but I would not want to be anywhere else. My weekends are a mix of grabbing meals with friends, chasing our kids around, church with the family, and catching up on shows/movies at home with my husband. My favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon is curled up on the couch reading a good book (or napping).

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
One day, I would really like to volunteer at 826 Boston. I have been following them for years and would love to be a part of the work that they do in empowering youth to write and tell their stories.

Who is your hero? Why?
My little sister. She lives and works in conflict-affected and high-risk areas abroad and uses her education and skills to support communities that are hurting or broken. She is, by far, the bravest person I know and, in my opinion, stands for everything that is right and true in this world. I’m so proud of who she is and wish I could have her courage, strength, and grit.

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
When I was a sophomore in college, I was going through a rough time and really struggling. My boss at my on-campus job at the time consistently checked on me and was the only one who asked how I was really doing. She taught me that sometimes, it’s okay to not be okay and that it’s okay to get/need help. She started out as a boss, then became a mentor, and over time, we became good friends!

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
I was born in Seoul, South Korea, but grew up on a little farming town outside of Seoul for the first 4 years of my life before moving to California. I have zero memories of my time there except through pictures that my parents were able to bring with them when we moved. I remember going back to the town where I spent the early years of my life… and it was the most unusual place I’ve ever visited because it felt strangely familiar and totally foreign at the same time.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
Hmmm. My family, coffee, and Hot Cheetos, in that order.

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I would love to write a fiction novel one day—even if it’s just for fun and never gets published!

Sarah Hood
Assistant Director Field Education, Social Work

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now? 
I grew up in Newton, MA. I think my mom thinks I’m too old to live with her at this point.

What path brought you to BC?
I attended BC undergrad and then for my Masters in Social Work. I have always loved BC. After 15 years at the same company, I wanted to work with students at BC and I was lucky to get a job.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
Student Formation. Getting to know people individually, hearing about their past, present and dreams for the future.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
Cooking something exotic or new for family and friends.

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I love serving on the United Way and Camp Harborview Advisory Councils. Both organizations are incredibly different but have a huge positive impact on the community and its members.

Who is your hero? Why?
My hero is my husband Darren. He is incredibly loving and approaches life in the most positive way. He sees the good in people and this allows him to be genuine, generous, optimistic, and super fun.

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them? 
My mentor was and is my old boss, Paul Cataldo. He was my boss for 15 years at The Mentor Network. He is a brilliant man who leads by example by treating all employees and stakeholders with dignity. He would bring out the best in everyone and wanted anyone who worked for him to do better then he.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
Medjugorje Yugoslavia

What would be impossible for you to give up?
Laughing

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Travel more
 

Regine Jean-Charles
Associate Professor, Romance Lanuages and Literatures and African and African Diaspora Studies

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
Wellesley MA. Because of the lack of class and racial diversity in Wellesley, I did not want to raise my children there.

What path brought you to BC?
I was hired in 2008 as part of a search for core faculty in the African and African Diaspora Studies Program. This is actually my first job! Prior to BC I did my PhD at Harvard and then a post-doc at UVA.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am passionate about literature and the ability of stories to help us better understand and engage the world. Whether I am writing about these works in an article or exposing students to them through my teaching it is this belief that literature has a role to play in the real world that excites me.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
On the weekends I spend a lot of time with family—biological and otherwise. Lunch, brunch or coffee with my closest friends is an inevitable part of my week. On Sundays we go to church as a family (me, my husband and 4 children) then usually have lunch with someone from church at a restaurant in Boston or at our home in Milton. We are “people people” and love to host gatherings at home large or small. Also, I take my self care very seriously whether it is going to the gym, a spinning class, or getting a mani/pedi I always try to do something for me a couple of times throughout the week.

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
For over a decade I have been a board member, performer and lecturer for A Long Walk Home a nonprofit organization that uses art to educate, inspire, and empower young people to end violence against girls and women. This work takes up much of my time and is a cause I am passionate about. I am also very active in my church where my husband and I co-lead the marriage ministry.

Who is your hero? Why?
This one is difficult for me. I feel that I have many people I admire (Ella Baker for activism, Gloria Steinem for feminism, Carole Boyce Davies for her academic career, Edwidge Danticat for her writing and activism related to Haiti) but no hero per se. So I will go with the first thing that came to mind which is Jesus Christ because his life exemplified sacrificial love of others.

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I don’t have one, but several. My pastor Valerie Copeland who I met at church. My undergraduate mentor was my college professor Farah Jasmine Griffin, who I met freshman year and named my oldest daughter after; my graduate school professor Alice Jardine; another Haitian professor I met through a professional association Claudine Michel. My BC mentors Kevin Newmark and Cynthia Young.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Unusual only because it is not a common tourist destination.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
Working full time

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
To work firsthand with women and girls who are survivors of sexual violence in a different country

Margaret Laurence
Director, Initiatives for Formative Education

Where did you grow up? Why aren't you there now?
I grew up in Worcester, MA (Central Massachusetts)—and originally left Worcester in 2000 because I was recruited to work at Boston College. After living in this area a few years, I decided I wanted to build my community here and never looked back. I am blessed with friends from all different times in my life. I loved growing up there, but happy I continued my journey personally and professionally in the Boston area. So many opportunities—and a short drive away from family members who are still in central Massachusetts.

What path brought you to BC?
The first part of the story is noted above. I left BC in 2005 to work at Harvard Chan School of Public Health, then continued my career working for a private family foundation. At the end of my nearly eight year tenure at the Foundation, I missed working collaboratively with colleagues and being part of a larger community. In exploring different positions, coming back to BC to continue my career in higher education administration and to be part of a university-wide initiative was a winning combination for me.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am most passionate about being part of the mission and collaborating with others. Early in my career, I was a fundraiser. When I began fundraising, I learned quickly that it is important to believe in the mission of the institution in which you are asking for support. BC’s community is filled with people who care deeply about the mission and are willing to come together to make things happen. It’s this passion and creativity that I love to be around every day. For me, in collaborating, I learn so much about myself and, more so, insights from others always add to the projects I am working on. 

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon? 
In summer, beach, cycling, swimming, tending to my herb garden, then to my hammock. In fall and spring, you would find me walking in the woods enjoying the warmth of the sun. In winter months, I “hibernate” by reading a book or taking a nap (or both). All year it is being with family and friends—visiting over a cup of tea, a home-cooked meal or the like. I love to travel—whether a weekend get-a-way or vacationing in a new location (most recently to Spain). Balance and self-care are high priorities for me.

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I volunteer as a board member for my Condo Association. Hopefully, my contributions help 300+ neighbors by being part of the solution to bring the community together on every level. I know we all work hard to create home—so I’m “crazy about” serving my little village in this way.

Who is your hero? Why?
Rosa Parks. She changed the world and did so peacefully. (I met her in 1987.)

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
I am fortunate to have many mentors of all ages. Two of my mentors, I met when I first worked at BC. Although I have not worked with either of these women since I left BC in 2005, they continue to be inspirational to and supportive of me both personally and professionally. Each is a phone call away when I need to bounce around an idea or talk through something.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
The Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. Hiking in the rainforest, beautiful beaches, lots of monkeys, and much, much more. Farthest away—Uganda and Tanzania.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
The love and support of my friends...and avocadoes. 

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Be kind and generous to everyone I meet (and to those I don’t meet). I get to re-set the clock every day… some days are better than others. In addition, to always be brave.


Joy Moore
Vice President for Student Affairs

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Newton, Mass, so know the area very well. However, I have lived and traveled to many places around the world over the course of my professional career.

What path brought you to BC?
I was interested in becoming a teacher and knew that BC had an excellent School of Education. But more importantly, BC offered me (and later my sister) a very generous financial aid package which made it possible for me to attend.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
Having the opportunity to engage with students and working to ensure that they have the best learning environment to thrive and chart their course for the future. I want to help create an atmosphere where every student feels welcomed within the BC community and that they belong.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
Practicing yoga, cooking (vegan), visiting with family and friends. I also enjoy alone time to read, reflect and think about what’s next in my life. Oh yeah, I’m also a football fan so plenty of game watching on Sunday afternoons!

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I’ve always been interested in volunteer activities that support girls and young women. More recently, I’ve added hunger and homelessness to my advocacy list.

Who is your hero? Why?
My first hero is my mom. She sacrificed a lot for me and my siblings to receive a quality education—one which she did not have the opportunity to attain. She was a domestic worker (think of the movie The Help) and did so with great pride because she was contributing to the family in a significant way. She was never ashamed of the work she did and that demonstrated the enormous pride she took in doing her best work for herself and her family.

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I have many mentors. I have found what’s best for me is to surround myself by a few mentors who are younger than me, a few who are my age and a few who are older than me. All have wisdom and ideas to share from their different age perspectives. I connected with them throughout my life journey and the different encounters I’ve had.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
The Hubbard Glacier in Alaska.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
My freedom.

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Seeing more of the world!

Mary Nardone
Associate Vice President, Capital Projects Management

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now? 
I grew up here in Massachusetts. I went to junior high and high school (that’s where you “grow up”, right?) on Cape Cod. After college in Pennsylvania I came back to Massachusetts to be near both my family and the ocean.

What path brought you to BC?
I was working for a large contracting firm and was assigned to a project here at BC, I loved the campus and pursued a job opening in Capital Projects Management as an engineer—and that was 26 years ago. I have had the opportunity to grow over the years and have not a slow day in all that time!

What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am passionate about making a lasting imprint on the physical campus. But my interests are not just architecture and construction. For the past 20 years I have served as adjunct faculty in the Carroll Graduate School of Management (finance) and I have also served as a pre-major academic advisor in Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. I enjoy being knit into the fabric of Boston College.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
During the week you may find me running around the reservoir. On the weekends I try to be near the ocean, as I find being near water so relaxing. My husband and I will be at our little cottage in Fairhaven MA, probably both reading a shared stack of books, and if it’s summer I might get out on my paddleboard.

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I have really enjoyed my time with the 4th and 5th graders at the St. Columbkille School’s “Engineering Club for Girls”!

Who is your hero? Why?
This one is easy—my mother is my hero. She went to college, then had 6 children (I’m the youngest), and when I started kindergarten she started volunteering part-time at my school. When I started junior high she went back to college for an advanced degree and enjoyed a successful career in a male-dominated field (you’ll have to ask me which field).

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I have many, many mentors. Remember that mentor/mentee relationships are a two-way street – someone reaches out to you for mentoring, and you end up learning so much from them! What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited? Given that I love being near the water, Venice would probably be the most unusual, it’s amazing the degree to which water is integrated into life there.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
I am a lifelong learner, so I always want to be studying a new topic. Most recently I have started studying Italian, really just to keep my brain young. I also love running and hope I never have to give that up.

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
This is a great question, I guess I hope to slow down a little.

Tracy L. Regan
Professor of the Practice (Economics)

Where did you grow up? Why aren't you there now?
I’m from Denver, CO but after spending 25 years in AZ and FL I decided it was time to return back to winters with snow! In all seriousness, though, I love the warm welcomes I’ve received from Bostonians and the BC community. This city has a tremendous amount of pride and is an exciting place to live.

What path brought you to BC?
I spent eight years as an assistant professor at the University of Miami and two years at the University of Arizona where I got my feet wet teaching large lectures. I chose to join BC as my position here allows me to focus on teaching, while also allowing me to do my research at a more reasonable pace. BC offered me the opportunity to continue teaching large lectures but also to offer electives in my areas of interest—namely, health economics, industrial organization, and labor economics. BC is the ideal mix for me—it’s an outstanding research institution but maintains the focus of a liberal arts institution with a wonderful student body and an impressive faculty and administration.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
A lot of my passions are reflected in my research and teaching. I am especially interested in minority groups—e.g., women, Hispanics, and Blacks—with respect to schooling, the labor market, and the family. Matters of language fascinate me too. My other interests are in the health care arena; the pharmaceutical industry intrigues me, as does our evolving health insurance market. In recent years I’ve grown especially curious about the informal economy and entrepreneurship as well.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
I love exploring New England—there is so much to see and everything is so close. Day trips are definitely a favorite weekend activity. I’m also a big fan of picnicking by the Charles River during the summer. I always try to exercise, get some work done, see friends, and take in some cultural events, as well as catch up on sleep. And occasionally, you’ll find me on the couch all day binge watching something on HBO or Netflix!

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I’ve been very involved with my sorority’s alumnae chapters since graduation, serving in various executive roles. I also had the opportunity when I was back in Tucson to be an advisor to my college chapter at the University of Arizona. There I mentored women and served as a formal advisor to the CMO, philanthropy chair, and alumnae liaison. I’ve gotten myself so involved with BC (programs, committees, mentorship programs, etc.) that I have little time for other volunteer activities but I love that I can share my time, insights, and experience with such remarkable people on campus.

Who is your hero? Why?
I don’t have a hero per se, but instead a collection of people whom I respect and admire throughout history. These would include, but are not limited to: President Obama for his integrity, class, and respect for the office; Martin Luther King for his peaceful approach to civil rights; FDR for his public works projects; Teddy Roosevelt for his conservation legacy; Mother Teresa for her service to the poor and suffering; Malala for speaking out for the right to an education; Steve Jobs for his vision; and Walt Disney for his creativity.

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
I don’t have a formal mentor but I have a group of people who have advised and helped me at various points in my life. My undergraduate mentor, who was my professor when I was in college at the University of Arizona and oversaw the graduate students when we taught classes as Ph.D. students, was always candid, opinionated, and quite humorous in our conversations and has provided a tremendous amount of support and guidance for me as a professor. My graduate advisor, Ronald Oaxaca, has provided a great deal of encouragement and guidance and has become a dear friend and a wonderful sounding board when I’m faced with challenging professional situations. My parents are entirely selfless and endlessly patient and have given me advice for every imaginable thing in my personal and professional life. My siblings are my best friends and I often seek them out for their advice and opinions. I am incredibly lucky to have a family that really defines the notion of a family. And lastly, I’m fortunate to have a large network of friends that I’ve relied on throughout the years.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
Probably Turkey. Istanbul is at the literal and figurative center of so many things—geography, culture, and religion. It is the furthest east I have traveled and provided my first entry into Asia. I was fascinated by the women in various types of hijabs that walked next to men in nondescript clothing. It is truly where the west meets the east. The number of mosques dotting the countryside is amazing and the views from the Bosporus are memorable. There is constant chaos and activity punctuated by the daily calls to prayer and endless array of amazing food, passionate people, and incredible sites.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
Summer vacation, my yoga mat, dental floss, my iPhone, and water.

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I hope to see and experience as much of the world as possible. I also hope to have some positive impact through my teaching and interactions with people.

Akua Sarr
Vice Provost, Academic Affairs

Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in New York City, in Washington Heights. I have not lived there for close to 30 years because I never moved back after going away to graduate school and starting a family and work outside of NYC.

What path brought you to BC?
I’ve been at BC for ten year. I started in the Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office as an Associate Dean and then, in August 2015, I started in my current role as Vice Provost. I came to BC from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I did my Ph.D. and worked in Student Academic Affairs.

What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am most passionate about working with students to help them to meet their personal and academic goals. Working with young people who are just discovering themselves intellectually and spiritually is the most rewarding part of my work.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
I love literature, theatre, the arts, and food. Restaurants, museums, a good show and a great book are some of the ways that I like to spend my time.

Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I have not had a lot of time to volunteer but I’ve done a few afternoons at Cradles to Crayons, and I’ve served food at a homeless shelter when my children were younger. I enjoyed the experiences and will have to carve out more time to volunteer when I can.

Who is your hero? Why?
Toni Morrison. I am in awe of the way in which she is able to use language in her writing. I wish I had that gift!

Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I’ve had a lot of mentors in my life—both personally and professionally. I think I learned the most professionally from the assistant dean that trained me as a graduate student at the UWMadison—his name is Jack Cipperly. He really gave me great insight into student academic affairs. I’ve followed his path and have a career that I love. I owe much of my success to his guidance.

What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
I don’t think it’s unusual, but I love Senegal in West Africa. It has such a rich history and culture. It’s just a beautiful country.

What would be impossible for you to give up?
Sugar. I have tried but I have a real sweet tooth.

What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I’d like to own a home in Dakar, Senegal. It would be nice to spend winters in Dakar and summers on Martha’s Vineyard reading all of the novels that I can.