Changing lives - one way we make a difference

by Zach

As a Jesuit School, Boston College has long been steeped in not only developing a strong community but also helping those around it. With a long tradition of community service, Boston College Graduate students have been serving their communities in a variety of ways, from working with non-profits to feeding those most in need. Today, every Carroll School Graduate student volunteers at least ten to twenty hours towards community service. Through continuing this long tradition, we gain experience working with many different community-based organizations and individuals. It also reflects our tradition of experiential learning. After just one semester, I have found that my classmates and I are well on track to far exceed, if not double or triple, the ten to twenty hours!

Graduate students enjoy many community service opportunities, ranging from student organizations like Net Impact to working local and national organizations in the Boston area. The Carroll School of Management even plans activities for Boston College's annual Jesuit Day of Service.

One of the most rewarding, for me personally, is participating in Invest in Kids (INK). INK is a joint program between Boston College and Brookline Public schools. This program pairs a graduate student mentor with a 7th or 8th grader. The students I have worked with have really impressed me and I continuously find myself learning more from them than they probably learn from me.

While part of the INK program focuses around school work, the other part focuses on connecting student and mentor through a series of activities. These events range from costume competitions (during Halloween), to meeting student athletes, to scavenger hunts around campus.One of the first events we held was a stock picking challenge that took place between 1915 and 1930. One of the kids in my group astutely pointed out that the Great Depression was coming up and convinced his fellow students to liquidate, propelling our group into first place!

Reflecting on my first semester, I feel that INK was a great source of stress relief and helped me keep things in perspective. While grades and internships are important, it was great spending two hours a week giving back to our community!

A few quotes from my classmates regarding their experience with INK:

"I love having the chance to take a break from studying and schoolwork and give back to the community. The kids always have the ability to brighten my week and I love helping them work towards their goals." - First-Year, Full-Time MBA student.

"Ink is AMAZING!" - First-Year, Full-Time MBA student.

"A nice departure from schoolwork." - First-Year, Full-Time MBA student.

"Fun & Rewarding... Brings out the kid in me!" - Second-Year, MSA/MSF Dual Degree student.

CSOM Gives Back for Thanksgiving

by Jaclyn

Last week was Thanksgiving, arriving at the perfect time to recharge for the 2 week semester finale. It's my favorite holiday, but not just because of the copious amounts of turkey and pumpkin pie I can eat guilt and calorie-free (it's the truth). Instead, Thanksgiving has become a day of reflection, to acknowledge everything I have to be thankful for, whether it's the food on the table or the family and friends around me.

So as papers started piling on and final presentations loomed over us, the CSOM graduate community found a reason to slow down, connect with the community, and remind ourselves of the importance in giving back.

Enter The 1st Annual Food Drive...

The school's first annual food drive was held during the first two weeks of November, with a goal of collecting 600 items to donate to the Newton Centre Street Food Pantry for Thanksgiving meals. And as no surprise to most of the members of our program, we crushed this goal. Because of the generosity, enthusiam, and dedication shown by the entire graduate school, we were able to collectively donate (including a few strategic trips to Costco) over 1,600 items, lending to enough Thanksgiving meals to serve 260+ local families.

Putting aside the admissions process, the academics, and even career for just one minute, this is truly what makes me so proud to be at Boston College...the strong sense of community, a tradition of service, and the genuine kindness of the students, faculty, and administration.

To read more about the CSOM 1st Annual Food Drive, visit: http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/schools/csom/graduate/news/2012/Food_Drive.html

INK takes on the Boston Marathon...

by Eric

This past weekend, the Invest in Kids (INK) co-directors teamed up to run the Boston Marathon in support the Invest in Kids Scholarship Fund. For those readers not familiar with the organization, INK is a tutor/mentorship program sponsored by the Carroll Graduate School of Management. For more information on INK see my previous post: Perpetual Growth: Why Investing in Kids Pays Off

Family, friends, classmates, and professors all came through in helping us raise over $10,000 in support of the Invest in Kids Scholarship Fund. For their generosity, we are immensely grateful. The scholarship fund, started by former INK directors and tutors, is an endowment that supports low-income college bound students who have participated in the Boston College Invest in Kids program and who have continued to be a part of Brookline's Steps to Success program.

And now on to the main event...The Marathon.

First off, I must say that I am in awe of the dedication and stamina put forth by my co-directors, Kim Clark and Michelle Pinnette. Training since last semester, they have run through snow (though not much this winter, thankfully), rain, sleet, and now 87 degree stew to make it through yesterday's marathon. Not even Professor John Gallaugher's exhausting, but rewarding 20 companies-in-five days death march could stop us from training as Michelle and I regularly passed each other this winter break while jogging to and from our hotel toward Stanford on University Avenue in Palo Alto, CA. 

Much credit and praise should be given to Kim and Michelle for running their first marathon.  And thanks to them, they pushed me outside my comfort zone to run my first 10 miles. Here is my story...

I started my run at Mile 16. I joined the pack just as I could see the cocky second-string, front-runners petering out due to over exerting themselves too early in the race. As I managed to keep pace with them up Heartbreak Hill, I fed off of the crowd cheering me on. With very little athletic prowess of my own, I felt like a rock star as I jogged past adoring fans holding signs that said "You [Wait, me? Yes, me!] Inspire Me!" Indeed, running really is the sport for the kid who couldn't make the basketball team. Believe me, I know.

Not long after starting, a Chestnut Hill housewife exclaimed, "You look great. Keep it up!" Of course I looked great, I was only three miles in. Unfortunately, compliments like this stopped for me before hitting Brookline. While running through Newton and Chestnut Hill, residents graciously handed out water and Twizzlers (On the Next Episode of Sh*t Rich People Do) to deflated runners as they crawled up Heartbreak. Regrettably, most of the families allowed their toddlers to hand out the orange slices. I had to respectfully decline - who knows where those toddler hands have been?

It was exhilarating running by Boston College on Marathon Monday. You couldn't help but get a mental and physical boost from the thousands of undergraduates lining the streets cheering you on. At one point, I'm pretty sure I was running next to the Fruit of the Loom characters. Whether it was a hallucination invoked by heat stroke or a demonstration of college brand humor, the absurdity of the moment and the chuckle that followed came at the right time. That said, Mile 21 by Boston College is like the love child of Mardi Gras and the Olympics. 

As I passed each notable landmark - Cleveland Circle, Washington Square, Coolidge Corner, etc. - I was greeted by familiar faces of friends who had come out to support the run. As I joined up with Kim and Michelle at Mile 25, we ran the last stretch in solidarity. A group of our classmates saluted us from the Cactus Club (it was 5 pm somewhere in the world) as we neared the finish line.

I'd liked to think that I didn't make too much of a fool out of myself running in this year's Boston Marathon. But if I did - at least it was for a great cause. I couldn't be prouder of the efforts of our INK Team and those who helped validate and affirm our good work through their support of the Invest in Kids Scholarship Fund.

Perpetual Growth: Why Investing in Kids Pays Off

"Nothing that you have not given away will ever truly be yours." ~ C. S. Lewis

by Eric

Last week marked the end of another successful semester of Invest in Kids at the Carroll School of Management. Invest in Kids is a tutor/mentorship program sponsored by the Carroll School and its graduate students. Each week, approximately 35 'at-risk' middle school children from the Brookline Public School system arrive on the Boston College campus to work one-on-one with volunteer tutors from our MBA, MSF, and MSA programs. Invest in Kids partners with Steps to Success, a comprehensive school success and college readiness program that serves low-income youth from the fourth grade through their high school graduation.

This year, I, along with classmates Michelle Pinnette and Kim Clark, have stepped up as the co-directors of the program. Together, we planned some fantastic sessions for the kids including a campus-wide scavenger hunt, a tour of BC's varsity athletic facilities, and a Minute to Win It themed Christmas Party.With the stress of school, project deadlines, final exams, and internship and job searching, it is very easy to become consumed by our academic lives. For those students involved in Invest in Kids, life is given new perspective as we join together for a few hours each week to support and guide those kids most in need of mentorship. While it can be hard, often frustrating work, nothing is more rewarding than to see a young individual realize his or her own potential and succeed in achieving those goals set at the beginning of the semester. For many of these kids, higher education is not believed to be an option. Over the course of a semester, several of these students will realize that they do have the intelligence to make college a reality, the ability to get on the basketball team, or the talent to audition for the school play. Sometimes, all it takes is some patience, positive reinforcement, and encouragement to show a young mind the world of possibilities that lie ahead. While not every scenario results in a Hallmark Hall of Fame happy ending, it is those small moments of growth, development, and self-realization that makes the program worth it for the tutors and students, alike.

This past month, classmates Kevin Cuomo (U.S. Naval Academy grad) and Matt Horne (Holy Cross NROTC alumnus) spoke to the kids about the personal and professional sacrifices that service men and women make for their country. Following the presentation, the kids made greeting cards for the troops expressing well wishes and gratitude for their service, especially during this time of year.

In an effort to bring Invest in Kids programming into the 21st century, a good friend of mine and Boston University film student, Austin Paquette, joined us to film a holiday greeting for those troops overseas. As many of you know, I direct quite a bit of theater on the side. An ephemeral art form like theater is ideal for a perfectionist like myself where "Take 38" is not an option. Believe me when I say that I was shocked when our nearly three dozen middle schoolers nailed our group Christmas greeting in one take. That being said, we did two more takes for good measure. I mean - would you expect any less from me? The group's ability to listen, stay focused, and deliver has almost made me reconsider my vow to never direct children and animals. Note I said almost. Merry Christmas!