Rise
Be You, Bravely!
Rise is a mentor program that matches small groups of women from the senior class with women-identifying faculty and staff members to challenge perceived cultural and social norms at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ that affect women's sense of self. Members of the program meet monthly over dinner to reflect on and discuss the issues they are facing as women-identifying seniors.
Mentors will share different parts of their journeys through short talks to introduce different topics, which include:
- Navigating friendships/relationships after ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝
- Forging your own path
- Courage to make difficult decisionsÂ
- Life post-college
- Defining success
Rise Mentor Program
As a result of participating in the Rise mentoring program, senior women will:
- Develop a stronger network of peer support
- Develop a stronger network of adult support
- Cultivate confidence in decision making
Calling Senior Women
Q&As with 2024–2025 Mentors
Caroline Davis, Associate Dean, Student Outreach & Support, Dean of Students Office
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Worcester, MA and actually, live close to there now! I moved to Boston after college and then to Chicago, and never imagined I would move home. Ultimately though, the east coast called me back and I moved back to be closer to my family as we started our own family.
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
As a first gen, Pell-eligible student, going from Worcester public schools to Tufts was a rough transition- I didn’t know about how to “do” college. I found my community through activism and psychology which led me to the profession of Social Work. I thought I would become a hospital-based social worker but in grad school interned in a hospital and hated it! Simultaneously, I was working as a case manager for college students at a scholarship foundation in Chicago and loved that, so pivoted into higher ed. First in Res Life and then to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝, which was my dream job.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I meet with a lot of students who are going through a very difficult time- I feel so privileged that we can build trust so that they can share their stories with me and we can try to find a path forward. I am passionate about working to help all students feel like they belong at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝, are seen and heard at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝, and help make ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ more accessible and equitable for all students.
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 am either hiking, running around the backyard or going on mini adventures with my family or writing papers for my Ed.D. classes! My ideal Sunday afternoon would involve some coffee, swimming in the ocean with my kiddos, chocolate, and snuggling up with a good book.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
Especially since the pandemic I have been focused on food insecurity in a hyper-local way. We support our town’s foodbank, are part of a mutual-aid type of group and also volunteer at a not-for-profit farm in town that is working to address hunger through providing fresh produce to food insecure Worcester county residents.
Who is your hero? Why?
My husband Steve! He is a pillar of unwavering support for me in my career and education, and all around just great. He works hard to be the type of person he didn’t really have growing up and inspires me to be the best parent I can be. He also does all of the laundry, most of the housework and keeps me well supplied with coffee and chocolate.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I have a few mentors, especially former bosses/women I met through work, but the one who sticks out I met in grad school. She was my field liaison-supervisor for my first clinical internship. She is an incredible clinician, funny, insightful, always a step ahead, and ready to take on the judicial system to work for those in the most need. She really supported me in moments when I needed support and guidance but was also real and honest about her own self as a whole person.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
Seattle- not so much because it was interesting in and of itself, but because it was one of the first places I traveled to by myself as an adult and on a plane. It was the first time that I had really been out of New England and although I intellectually understood that not everyone lived in the culture I did, I hadn’t realized how that could feel. I knew then that I needed to leave Boston for grad school which is how I ended up in Chicago.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Coffee, chocolate and real books (eg not electronic).
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Spend enough quality time with the people who I love and who love me.
Claire Donohue, Associate Dean, Center for Experiential Learning, ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ Law
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
Vestal, NY…It never occurred to me to stay home, a decision I find amusing when I reflect back on how beautiful that area of NY is and how low the cost of living is!
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
I met my (now husband) in undergrad. He graduated a year before me and headed to NYC for work. I was looking at grad schools, but planning on deferring for a year to give him one more year to work and put his applications in. As a consequence, I looked only in big cities, and as a Northeastern at heart, only on the Northeast corridor: DC, NYC, Boston. I like ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ because it was small. My undergrad was huge- a city within itself; but in a tiny town. I found myself wanting the opposite, a small community in a large city. ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ fit the bill.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
Being of service. I know it’s like we are supposed to say that at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝, but truly I never once thought about any work other than public service anchored work. To be clear, I do not think that is the only path or only way—some small part of me wonders why I didn’t just try to make bank, because money is power, but alas…
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
On soccer fields, basketball courts, or dance competitions cheering my daughters on, riding my horse, running (though less these days than in the past), cooking, walking my ill-behaved dogs, gardening, and honestly sometimes staggering under the weight of the pressures involved in working full time and having a family. And on Sunday mornings in particular you will find me at church. A small very liberal Episcopal parish in East Milton Square.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
Serving as President of my town’s youth soccer league (shhh, I never played soccer growing up)
Who is your hero? Why?
I don’t think I have one. I find most people, even people who impress the pants off of me, to be remarkable and fallible, inspiring and exacerbating. No one is my hero. We’re all just sort of in it, aren’t we? But okay, my grandmother impressed the crap out of me: marrying at 19, miscarrying as many times as she had babies, losing a baby at birth, making sure her four surviving children were educated and in so doing sending that next generation to university where she and her husband, my grandfather, had, at that same age, been in the mines of York, UK and the docks of Portsmouth, UK.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I had had a shifting village of mentors over the years mostly from places I worked.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
Impossible to answer!! I have loved Manie since I was a child. I was disoriented by the landscape of New Mexico the first time I visited my husband’s family there. I feel at home the minute I step off the plane in the UK. I had a work trip to Santiago, Chile that was so so cool. I have loved Portugal, Scotland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Ireland…
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And my husband and kids.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Oh jeez. Nothing really. I just want to be a very ordinary, happy person surrounded by good people. But okay, I want to see my kids launch into the amazing women I see in them…but their accomplishments in that regard won’t be my accomplishments. Hmmm…I think I could get my spoken French back if I had time to give it a whirl. I’ll let that be my answer.
Monetta Edwards, Director, Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
Guyana, South America. My family emigrated to the United States in the 80s.
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
I spent the first half of my career in the hospitality and corporate planning sphere and, in 2010, decided to make the transition from corporate work to have a more work-life balance, and found that here at Boston College.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
The reason I get out of bed in the morning is the opportunity to be part of our students’ journeys. Having the opportunity to play a role in their lives gives me purpose. I love that I have the ability to seekout incredible speakers who can come to campus to share their inspiring stories with our students and have them see what is possible.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend orSunday afternoon?
Reading or going to see a live show (concert or theater).
What's your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
Brunching with family and friends, weekend getaways, listening to jazzy-type music.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I am a 30+ year volunteer and supporter of the Special Olympics, and The ALS Association.
Who is your hero? Why?
My maternal grandfather, Curtis Hughes. In Guyana, he made an unpopular decision at the time to pay for the education of his seven daughters. His decision set the trajectory of the strong female self of worth that is ingrained in my family.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
There are several people I consider mentors. I’ve never even met a couple of them, and some are even younger. I think it is important to find people whose values align with yours, who are doing work, and who are doing things that you admire and perhaps aspire to do. I was hired into ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ by Yasmin Nunez, the current Associate Dean of Finance and Administration at the Lynch School. She is someone I admire tremendously and has been an incredible advocate and sponsor for me here at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
The Highlands of Scotland brought me a sense of peace and serenity while I was there. Paris is my soul city, I love the smell and energy of the city and never give up an opportunity to visit.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Hands down, ice cream.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Open a Bed and Breakfast
Victoria Garcia, Assistant Director, Intersections
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and I grew up in Miami, FL. I’m not there now because I failed to remember warmer weather is where I truly thrive. Now I’ve been bamboozled, hoodwinked, led astray to stay in Boston because of both my husband’s and my careers. I’m obviously kidding - I do love Boston, but I try to make it back to Miami as often as I am able.
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
After completing my undergraduate at the University of Florida, I moved to Boston for a year of service through City Year/Americorps. I worked as a college access counselor at a local nonprofit called Bottom Line after that. I knew if I wanted to make any kind of impact in higher education that I would have to further along my studies. I came to Boston College for my master’s at the Lynch School and worked as a graduate assistant at the Women’s Center and the Montserrat Office. ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ was dying for me to keep my talents at the Heights and offered me a 5-year $200 million contract so I have been here ever since! Inreality, I worked at OIP and now at Intersections, which is an office in Mission and Ministry that helps faculty and staff engage with the Jesuit, Catholic mission of the university.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am passionate about providing first-generation, low-income, and/or BIPOC students with transformative college experiences. Whether I’m doing that work directly, like I’ve done in the past working in student affairs or study abroad, or indirectly, like I’m doing now since I work primarily with faculty and staff, that is where my vocation lies.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
I’m obsessed with getting a good night’s sleep, so any good weekend has me focused on feeling rested so that it does not end in tragedy (i.e. me being in a bad mood). I love to cook so I have to make some kind of elaborate brunch at home. I don’t like having brunch at a restaurant because I consider it a scam when a dozen eggs costs two dollars at the grocery store. Ideally, I’d follow that up with some kind of activity like biking, meeting up with a friend, exploring a new town, shopping, etc. I’d end the day by watching a movie and/or tv show that either enriches my world view or rots my brain. You know, balance.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I love serving as an advocate on the Boston College Sexual Assault Network. I kind of stumbled upon the work while as a graduate assistant at the Women’s Center, and now I’m forever passionate about supporting survivors of gender-based violence.
Who is your hero? Why?
My brother Ricardo is my hero. He is autistic and proud, and he is the funniest, most poignant, most true-to-self person I know. He pushes me to be the kind of person I have always wanted to be.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I am lucky to have a variety of people I look up to and whose lives I want to emulate, but whom I’ve also tricked to be my friends and conversation partners. These include previous coworkers, old bosses, current coworkers and bosses’ bosses, etc. Like I said, I connected with them and stayed connected with them because I tricked them. Now they are in my life forever and I know I can go to them for conversations on life, love, career, spirituality, justice, and the like. I also like to think these people know they can come to me for anything as well. For example, I really feel like I mentored Katie Dalton recently when I taught her how to post a Story on Instagram.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
The most interesting place I’ve ever visited was the Blue Mountain Peak which is the highest mountain in Jamaica and one of the highest peaks in the Caribbean. As I mentioned, I am from Miami which is currently sinking so I am not familiar with mountains and/or hiking. Jamaicans prefer to reach the peak at sunrise so the group I was with started the hike (again, first time hiking) at 1 in the morning in complete darkness. When we reached the summit and watched the sunrise it felt like rebirth. Then, I remembered just as I came up the mountain I had to go back down it. There’s a metaphor there somewhere!
What would be impossible for you to give up?
It would be impossible for me to give up pop culture. Even if I can’t consume or like everything, I at least have to know “of” the newest movies, music, tv shows, memes, trends, etc. I feel like TikTok is the first social media platform I’ve officially aged out of which makes me feel old but I’ve ultimately accepted it.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
This is not really an accomplishment, but I really want to attend a World Cup before I die. Hopefully it will be held in South America in 2030 because it’ll be the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup that was hosted and won by Uruguay. Something I’ve already accomplished is winning a World Cup trivia game at a bar but the prize was an Argentina jersey which I gave to my husband since I’d be disowned for wearing that.
Ali Bane Hammond, Director, First Year Experience
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Manchester, MA. I would love to live there again someday, but right now the rush-hour commute would mean too many hours in the car and away from my 2-year-old son, Harry. I now live in Stoneham, MA - about half way between ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ and Manchester, where my parents and many other family members still live.
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
For starters, I went to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝. I studied theater and communication and had no idea what I wanted to do after graduation. I ended up moving to New York City and working at NĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ during my first few years out of college. During this time, I engaged in what I now recognize as “discernment” and discovered that I wanted to pursue higher education administration. After getting my Master’s in the field, I worked at a few different Boston-area institutions and did a short stint in Washington DC at the Department of Ed before accepting a job in 2014 as the Assistant Director of FYE – an office that had a big impact on me during my own undergraduate days.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am passionate about the idea of belonging. This desire to belong to one another is so innate, yet often so hard to come by. I believe the desire to belong plays an important role in the transition to college, for better and for worse. Most of the programs I run in FYE and the research I engage in as a graduate student in the Lynch School concerns, to some extent, belonging.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
At the beach. In the summers, I’m there as often as possible enjoying the golden hour with family and friends. In the winter, I like to bundle up and go for walks along the shoreline. Being by the ocean has always been very centering for me.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I love the Posse Foundation – a city-based organization that recruits and prepares high school students to receive full-tuition leadership scholarships to college. I volunteered with them for years as a writing tutor. I also used to volunteer at Mass General Hospital. My dad had a life-saving surgery there while I was in college, and it felt like a small way to repay the incredible healthcare workers who perform miracles on a daily basis. Over the last few years, I’ve had less time to devote to those organizations, and have instead tried to support candidates for political office that I really believe in.
Who is your hero? Why?
Easy call. My parents are my heroes. Their selflessness has always inspired me to be better. However, since becoming a mom, the magnitude of their sacrifice has hit me in a new way.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I have been lucky to have had mentors who have supported me in different seasons of life. From high school teachers, to faculty members, and supervisors at BU and ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝. A common thread among these relationships is that I had to take some initiative – usually by requesting a conversation, in which I learned about them or sought advice.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
The place I have visited that has felt the least familiar to me is Marrakech, Morocco. My husband and I traveled there on the first trip we ever took together, so it holds a special place in my heart. I still have a bag of authentic Ras el hanout (a classic Moroccan spice) that I purchased in the medina. Every now and again I take it out of the cupboard and take whiff and it’s like I’m there!
What would be impossible for you to give up?
My first thought was coffee. My second was ice cream. But I’m going to go with my third, which was dancing. Dancing has been my “thing” since I was a little girl and even throughout my undergrad days at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝. Though I rarely take class any more, I do a lot of dancing in my kitchen – often with my son Harry on my hip.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I would love to write a book someday. Maybe a children’s book.
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 ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
I attended ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ Undergrad and then for my Masters in Social Work. I have always loved ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝. After 15 years at the same company, I wanted to work with students at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ 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 incrediblly different but have a huge positive impact on the community and its members.
Who is your hero? Why?
My hero is my husband Darren. Why? 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 than he.
What’s the most interesting 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!
Kelly Hughes, Assistant Director of Center for Student Wellness
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?     Â
I grew up in southern New Jersey, and am a product of town sports, Bruce Springsteen, and plenty of trips to Wawa and the local diner. While South Jersey was a great place to call home, I was captivated by New England from a young age, dreaming of city life, fall foliage, and nights at Fenway Park. I still make sure to return to my roots at the Jersey Shore each summer!
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?          Â
My first path to Boston College began as a graduate student at the Clogh School of Theology and Ministry in 2012 - the start of an exciting (and unexpected) journey of ministry with college students. I happily returned to the Heights in 2017 to serve as a Campus Minister, working closely with students through service immersion and retreats. Accompanying ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ students in their joys, struggles, questions, and desires - particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic - inspired me to begin a new (although familiar) path of graduate school, studying in the Lynch School of Education & Human Development for my MA in Mental Health Counseling in 2020. My paths of working and studying at Boston College have truly shown me the importance of the Ignatian call of 'cura personalis' - the care of the whole person - and the ways in which we all continue to learn and grow in caring for our minds, our bodies, and our souls! In 2024, I transitioned from Campus Ministry to the Center for Student Wellness, serving as the Assistant Director for Mental Health & Wellness (and graduating with my MA in Mental Health Counseling)! I can't wait to join the wonderful wonderful women of RISE, accompanying them through the experiences of senior year, and supporting one another in finding balance and caring for our whole selves!
What are you most passionate about professionally?          Â
I am wholeheartedly committed and curious about the multifaceted needs of college students, particularly towards the integration and care of their physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. Whether planning a mental health event or having a one-on-one conversation, I want to learn more and support students in all aspects of their identity and college experience. I deeply care about mental health awareness and suicide prevention on campus, and am grateful to collaborate with dedicated students, faculty, and staff on campus-wide mental health events and QPR suicide prevention trainings. I am very passionate about collaborating with the Women's Center, through RISE and SANet, as well as collaborating with Campus Ministry's grief groups and grief retreat. I firmly believe (and would give my TedTalk about) the transformative power of attentive listening, authentic community, and really good icebreaker questions to foster meaningful connection!
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?          Â
You are most likely to find me at a group fitness class at the Rec Center (you have to try Body Combat!), hosting friends and family for Friday Firepits and pizza nights, or drinking coffee in the early hours of the morning with a Spotify playlist, scented candle, or journal nearby. My Sunday afternoons are best spent hiking with my fiancé Jake, taking in the beautiful scenery of the Blue Hills or Moose Hill!
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?          Â
Music plays a central role in my life, and I have participated in a number of church choirs and singing groups since college. My favorite experience was singing on Opening Day with the Jimmy Fund Chorus at Fenway Park, celebrating the partnership between the Red Sox and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, standing alongside remarkable patients, staff, and supporters against cancer!
Who is your hero? Why?          Â
I have Boston College to thank for introducing me to one of my dearest friends and greatest inspirations! What makes this friend a hero to me is her resilience and unwavering commitment to the abundant life - to lifelong learning and growth, to her relationships, to her meaning and purpose with generosity to oshare it with others - and to look always with the lens of hope. Her strength, brilliance, humor, boundless compassion, and perseverance remind me again and again that not all heroes wear capes!
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?          Â
One of my most formative mentors was my college campus minister, who inspired my own journey in ministry, mental health, and higher education. He was joyful, hilarious, and empathetic, helping me navigate the many ups and downs of my college experience, especially discerning what to do after graduation (as well as recovering from one or two break-ups). Most notably, this mentor walked me through the difficult experience of losing a close friend to leukemia. In the darkest moments of suffering and grief, he accompanied me in my pain and pointed towards the promise of hope and new life. He will soon be sharing in one of the happiest moments of my life, when he presides for our wedding liturgy in June 2025!
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?          Â
When I first moved to Boston, a dear friend took me to Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. At first mention, I was pretty hesitant about the unusual destination choice. Now, I would highly recommend a visit and consider Mt. Auburn Cemetery to be one of the most beautiful places in the city!
What would be impossible for you to give up?          Â
My family and friends, chicken wings, Wegman's, flavored seltzer water, and terrible puns and dad jokes.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?     Â
Will someone please let me sing the National Anthem or throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park?!
Heather Jack, Senior Associate Director of Major Giving
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. I went to college in Middlebury, Vermont. After college my fiancĂ© (now husband) was taking classes at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ Law so we moved to Newton in 1996. We raised two kids in this area. My daughter is a senior now at Middlebury College in Vermont and my son will be a freshman at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ next fall!
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
I have been involved in the non profit sector throughout my career. In the early 2000s, I founded two nonprofits, The Volunteer Family and Future Philanthropists, the success of which led to merging with national organizations, and consulted on fundraising and marketing with 20 Boston based larger nonprofits. This led to a full-time job with Advancement at the Rivers School, where I was responsible for many initiatives, including alumni relations, annual fund and fundraising for the school’s campaign. In March of 2020, I transitioned to Boston College, where I began working for University Advancement. I work in the Northern California region as a primary contact for many of our most involved alumni and parents.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
Make the world a better place through helping nonprofits achieve their missions.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
Going for a run outside near the start of the Boston Marathon, spending time with my family, or reading a book on the porch in my backyard.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I have served on many boards over the course of my career but I think mentoring through RISE might become my new favorite volunteer activity! College aged seniors are some of my favorite people – there is so much potential during this time of life.
Who is your hero? Why?
If I'm being entirely honest, my hero is definitely Taylor Swift!
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I think a good mentor opens your mind up to different possibilities and points you in a different direction you could go in your life. My best mentor was my old boss at The Rivers School. She hired me, encouraged me to take on a career in Advancement, told me how much I could learn, and taught me how to be good at this job.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
The Great Barrier Reef in Austrailia! I was able to go snorkling there when I was younger.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Exercise, especially running and yoga. Also, quiet, productive working time.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Biking around the world with my husband.
Jovonna Jones, Assistant Professor of English and African & African Diaspora Studies
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Randolph, MA, where my family still lives. I love finding new places to plant myself. I’ve lived in Atlanta, Cambridge/Somerville, New York City, Chicago, Hanover (New Hampshire), and now, Dedham, MA—which is, ironically, only a few towns over from where I started.
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
I started my job at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ fresh out of graduate school across the river at Harvard, but I first stepped foot on ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝â€™s campus when I was kid. My mom earned her master’s degree at the Lynch School of Education in 2000, when I was 7 years old. Sometimes I had to join her on campus for classes and activities, thumbing through her sociology and psychology textbooks. Years later, I would learn that my maternal grandparents—who had been Southern migrants to Boston during the Great Migration—both found work for a short time as domestic workers in some of the homes in Newton near ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝. I didn’t plan on staying in Boston after earning my PhD, but ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ felt like a full circle opportunity to contribute to Boston’s academic landscape from a professional and ancestral perspective.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am most passionate about mentoring—and I’m not just saying that because of Rise! Mentorship is the tether between my craft as a writer and researcher and my vocation as a teacher. My spirit sings when I can help my students follow their curiosities into fields, projects, and creative pursuits that both challenge and excite them. That’s the sweet spot. Identifying your “work” is not just a matter of what you’re good at or what you like, but what sorts of challenges inspire you to rise to the occasion. Mentors taught me that, and mentors continued to open doors for me so that I could keep moving forward doing the kinds of work I wanted to do. You might change and try out a bunch of different jobs that may or may not align with what you begin to see as your “work,” but your “work” is yours. I am most passionate about helping students figure that out for themselves.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
My weekends are for yoga classes, hiking and taking picture at state parks, catching up with friends at arts/culture/music events in the city, and watching TV with my family.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I’m on the Oral History Ministry at my church. We’re a small team of ministers and congregants who interview our elders about their life stories, including some of the structural challenges they have faced as Black residents in Boston. I’m a preacher’s kid who has a contentious relationship to organized religion, so it’s been thrilling to find a church that orients their mission towards intersectional justice and intergenerational care.
Who is your hero? Why?
Toni Morrison is my hero. Before becoming a Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author, before writing her first novel at age 39, she was an upstart editor at Random House. Morrison-the-editor is partly responsible for the boom in Black women’s and Black feminist literature that transformed American arts and letters in the 1970s. She was Angela Davis’s editor responsible for the activist’s autobiography. She introduced a myriad of writers who would not have been able to breakthrough to the mainstream without Morrison and a few others uplifting their work behind the scenes. I first read Morrison’s writing as a Speech Team member in 7th grade long before learning just how much herediting had influenced American publishing and criticism. Morrison is my hero because there’s no me—a Black woman who gets paid to write and teach about Black women’s lives, art, and ideas—without her.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
My primary professional life mentor is Dr. Nikki Greene, Professor of Art History at Wellesley College. I met Dr. Nikki during my first year of graduate school. We were both in attendance at a gallery opening, and I happened to bring my tote bag that bore the names of important Black women writers and artists (very on brand, I know). Dr. Nikki spotted my bag and came up to compliment me. She’s been in my corner ever since.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
A photography museum housed in a 16th century prison in Porto, Portugal. The museum included contemporary photography, as well as various models of cameras invented anywhere from 50 to 200+ years ago. But the most interesting thing about the museum were its impressive views from the top floor prison cells. The best views of the city were through the iron bars of vacant rooms where people were forced to be in solitude for whatever crimes they may or may not have committed. The contrast was chilling.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
My personal authority. Where and how I choose to spend my time, feeling free and fluid.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Balancing on one leg for two minutes (right and left).
Belle Liang, Professor and Ascione Family Formation Fellow, Lynch School of Education and Human Development
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
Suburbs of Washington, DC—a place full of history and charm. As much as I enjoyed college and grad school in the Midwest, I knew I would head back East. Boston had me at “hello.” My first trip here involved stepping into four feet of snow in Cambridge, and I was hooked. What is not to love about a good blizzard and New England charm? I’ve been in love with this place ever since.
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
I started my academic career at Wellesley College, where I loved being around college students. When the opportunity to join ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ came up, I couldn’t resist continuing what I love at a Jesuit, social justice-oriented university with so much heart and soul.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I’m deeply committed to research and practice that help people find their true purpose. For me, it’s all about connecting with our authentic selves, building meaningful relationships, and envisioning the futures we aspire to create.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
Whenever possible, I’m in Rockport on the North Shore, taking walks along the ocean, catching coffee with a friend, getting lost in a good book, or attempting to garden.
Any volunteer activities you're crazy about?
Mentoring is my passion, whether it’s in schools, workplaces, or community spaces. I love supporting people on their journeys. Life is hard, and made much better when we invest in supporting each other.
Who is your hero? Why?
Viola Davis. Her autobiography tells all about overcoming incredible challenges through faith, determination, talent, and good people. She is strength and spirit. I love a person who doesn’t have todo everything on their own.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I feel blessed to have had many mentors along the way—spiritual mothers, graduate school advisors, colleagues, and even students. Mentorship has been a two-way street for me; I’ve learned as much as I’ve taught, and I’m grateful for every relationship.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
Northern Uganda left a lasting impact on me. Witnessing the resilience of the human spirit there was incredibly moving. On a lighter note, watching puffins in Iceland was magical.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Conversations about faith—those moments of deep connection are everything. And I can’t go without a hot cup of soup or tea, even in the summer.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
It would be cool to take a road trip without a set destination—just to see where the journey takes me.Â
Alison Marshall, Professor, Connell School of Nursing
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Denver Colorado- It’s a fantastic place! My parents still live there, and I try to visit as much as possible. The odd thing, however, is that even though I am from there, I don’t know how to ski.
Why aren’t you there now?
I arrived in Boston in 1996 as an undergraduate fresh-woman at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝. Both my parents are Eagles, and I was happy to become one too. While here, I met a special person (who became my husband) and he grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After we graduated and prepared for graduate school, he decided to move back in with his mom to save money.  I didn’t want to leave him, so I stayed too. The rest is history!
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
I returned to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝ as a faculty member in 2014. After grad school, I got a job as a family nurse practitioner and worked for over a decade in a busy urban community health center. It was amazing. But after having my daughter, I started to want something different from my day-to-day job. I was offered a faculty position at Simmons College School of Nursing and fell in love with teaching. Spending time with young people who wanted to be nurses fulfilled me in a way that I didn’t expect.  However, other aspects of that position, like administrative duties, didn’t suit me as well. When a teaching-only faculty position opened at ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝, I jumped at the
chance to return to the Heights.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
The two areas of nursing that are my passion are women’s health and sexual health. I believe that women’s health is critical to the health of all people and sexual health is a component of overall, holistic good health.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
I am the mom to a fantastic daughter who is a sports fanatic. My weekends are usually spent on a field or on a court somewhere in New England. I really love watching her play! I always bring my knitting, a good book on my Kindle and some cinnamon tea (hot in the winter, iced in the summer). I also love museums, taking long walks with my French Bulldog, reality TV (especially at the gym!), and romantic movies.
Any.volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I love volunteering for Healthcare for the Homeless
Who is your hero? Why?
My (s)hero is Lorretta Ford. She was the very first Nurse Practitioner in the United States and she created the position in Colorado!
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?Â
I have been lucky to have lots of great mentors in my life. One particularly meaningful mentor is Dr. Nisha Thakrar, who is the the Chief Medical Officer and a pediatrician at the community health center where I work. She is an amazing example of someone who provides excellent, compassionate clinical care to children and I was lucky to have her as one of my first preceptors.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
Tokyo. I hope I get to go back!
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Cheese-it is essential to my life.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I really want to knit a sweater. So far, they have defeated me, but I’m going to keep trying!
Njoke Thomas, Assistant Professor, Management and Organization
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I was born in Brooklyn, New York but raised in the republic of Trinidad and Tobago. At age 16 I moved to Oakland, California where I attended my senior year of high school. The plan was always to move back the US at some point as I am a citizen. These early experiences have made me a cultural hybrid and fueled my love of travel.
What path brought you to ĂŰĚŇ´«Ă˝?
Prior to deciding to pursue a career as a scholar, I worked in public health administration. I had the great fortune to work on two Organization Development initiatives in the public health sector which sparked my interest in investigating how organizations work. This led me to explore the field of organizational behavior and ultimately earn a PhD.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am a second-generation educator, my mom taught high school biology, and I suspect teaching is in my DNA. Incidentally, I graded a lot of biology exams growing up and my first degree is in Biology. I enjoy finding ways to make learning fun which translates to lots of activities and movies in my class. On the research side I am very concerned about the way work impacts the body and strive to discover positive deviance: how can work be good for the mind, body and soul?
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
On a Sunday afternoon you can find me spending time in nature or tending to my many plants. I used to volunteer at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and hope to get back to that.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I have recently become a mentor to a young lady in the Girls Reflecting Our World program.
Who is your hero? Why?
I have three sheroes, first mom because she taught me how to dream big and always looked fabulous. Second Octavia Butler and Zora Neale Hurston who lived the blueprint I follow for success a scholar. Zora, by the way, always looked fly!
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with them?
I have had so many tremendous mentors and mostly they are women but the person coming to mind is someone with whom I had one life changing interaction. I was attending a young alumni event, and we did the dreaded introductions. I blurted everything out in one anxious breath. A wise older alum took me aside later and said to me "You have interesting things to say, take your time. The world will wait." That kind man was my 5-minute mentor and made such a powerful impact on my speaking presence.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
The summer after my freshman year I was part of a student delegation to Haiti. This was an eye-opening experience for me and a lesson in student activism. Despite its challenges Haiti is a beautiful country. I was moved by the generosity of spirit, resilience and determination of my Haitian brother and sisters.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
I cannot give up yoga, soca or roti (a Trini dish that reflects the Indian influence on our culture).
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Two things I'd love to accomplish someday are to get my motorcycle certification and learn how to sew.