Departmental Awards
The Sociology Department gives four awards annually
Donovan / Holmstrom Award
The award recognizes the best paper written in an undergraduate Sociology course within the calendar year. Winners may be from any academic year and any school within the university.
The award is given in honor of one of the founders of the Department of Sociology at Boston College, and of the department's first tenured female faculty member. Professor Emeritus John D. Donovan graduated from Boston College in 1939, earned his PhD from Harvard, and taught at Boston College from 1952 until 2002. Professor Emeritus Lynda Lytle Holmstrom graduated from Stanford University in 1961, earned her PhD from Brandeis University, and taught at Boston College from 1969 until 2009.
The department conferred separate Donovan and Holmstrom awards until 2024.
2025 Winner
The 2025 winner was sophomore Sociology major Finley Stock-Guild for her paper "Halfway up the Heights: Navigating Belonging as a Transfer Student at Boston College."
- The 2024 Holmstrom award went to Ellen Ryan.
- The 2024 Donovan Award went to Celina Xiong for her paper “Autonomy, Art, and Artificial Intelligence: Institutional Commodification of Art and Bourdieu’s Cultural Capital.”
- The 2023 Holmstrom award went to Alyssa Barrientos for her paper "Femicides in Mexico."
- The 2023 Donovan award went to Elizabeth Anderson for her paper “The Impact of El Salvador's Civil War on the Religious Expression of Salvadoran Migrants in Boston.”
- The 2022 Holmstrom award went to Elizabeth McCarr for her paper “Frida Kahlo’s Mexican Heritage on Boston’s Appreciation of Art.”
- The 2022 Donovan award went to Molly Walvoord for her paper “To Immigrants With Love: The Cultures of Muralism, Immigration, and the City of Boston.”
William A. Gamson Award
The William A. Gamson Award is given in honor of one of the most renowned members of the Sociology faculty at Boston College. Professor Emeritus William A. Gamson is a prominent name in the study of social movements, past president of the American Sociological Association, and a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as winner of the W.E.B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award from the American Sociological Association.
The award recognizes a graduating senior for outstanding academic achievement in Sociology.
2026 Winner
The 2026 Gamson Award went to Simone Cawthorne King.
- The 2025 award went to Elizabeth Anderson
- The 2024 award went to Yuchen Gu
- The 2023 award went to Caira Mathieu
- The 2022 award was given to Kelli Rodrigues
- The 2019 award was given to Cristina Zubizarreta
- The 2020 award was given to Jessica Bridges
- The 2021 award was given to Larissa Truchan
David A. Karp Honors Thesis Award
The David A. Karp Honors Thesis Award is given in honor of the long-time director of the Sociology Honors Program. Professor Emeritus David A. Karp was professor of Sociology at Boston College from 1971 until 2012, and he inspired generations of students to strive for the insightful sociological listening and beautiful writing that are hallmarks of his work.
The award recognizes the best senior honors thesis written in the Sociology department each academic year.
2026 Winner
The 2026 winner was Anna Garate for her thesis "Working for the Pary: Status Work in Southern Sorority Life." Professor Josh Seim advised the project.
- The 2025 Karp Award went to Emilia Acevedo Quezada for her thesis “Narratives of Resistance: Artistic and Educational Practices as Mechanisms for Immigrant Rehumanization.” Professor Shelley White advised the project.
- The 2024 award went to Laila Herrera for her thesis "Shifting Landscapes: The Role of Institutions of Higher Education as Drivers of Gentrification in Cities." Professor Latrica Best advised the project.
- The 2023 award went to Sarah Mansky for her paper “Getting Off the Sidelines: Individual Motivations for Joining and Remaining in the Line 3 Movement”. Professor Josh Seim advised the project.
- The 2022 award was given to Kara Johansen for her thesis “Cleaning During COVID: Navigating Working Arrangements for House Cleaners and their Employers in Boston and Dallas.” Professor Julie Schor advised the project, and Professor Zine Magubane was second reader.
- The 2019 award was given to Catherine Stampfli for her thesis “How Self-Directed Learning Relates to Technology Integration and Pedagogical Beliefs in Middle School Classrooms.” Professor Michael Russell from the Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College advised the project
- The 2020 award was given to Eilidh Currie for her thesis “What’s the Alternative?: Attitudes of Discrimination Investigators Toward the Efficacy of Anti-Discrimination Law.” Professor Sarah Babb advised the project
- The 2021 award was given to Yitong Liu for her thesis “The Making of a Viral Event: How Media Shapes Homeowner Protest in Urban China.” Professor Julia Chuang advised the project