HELP STUDENTS ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS

Because of your support, Boston University students receive an education that prepares them to be resourceful and reflective leaders in our ever-changing world.

With a long-term gift, you can ensure Boston University can continue its mission for future generations—to make higher education accessible to all and ensure research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community-local and international.


Education is a gift. Watch a video from students who want to thank you for passing it on!


Austin Washington (STH '16)

recipient of a scholarship funded by a planned gift

"Theology for me was a chance to explore something I've been interested in for a long time — a way of reaching out to people, being useful, in a way that I wasn't getting from my career. The program at Boston University is way beyond what I had hoped for. And a scholarship like this really makes me want to accomplish something that would make this donor proud."

Theresa Rose Timmes (CAS '14, MED '17)

recipient of a scholarship funded by a bequest

"I'm thankful for the scholarship that has allowed me to make BU and BMC my home, and I'm so fortunate to be training here for medicine. BUSM has been challenging, supportive, and diverse, and it's given me an amazing clinical education. I'm passionate about women's health and working with underserved communities, and I hope someday to combine practicing, teaching, and global women's health research in my career."

Jillian Jaeger (GRS '17)

recipient of the Henry S. Newman Graduate Fellowship through the remainder of a charitable gift annuity.

"The Henry S. Newman Graduate Fellowship for Immigration Studies has given me the chance to do research on American minority and immigrant candidates and how voters decide whether to support them—without my worrying about teaching or other research fellowship requirements. I love teaching and research, but having a whole year on this project is so very helpful."

Cynthia Zhao (CFA '17)

"I was born into a family of doctors and grew up in a scientific family. But I realized when I was very young that I was more interested in the elegant, delicate designs I saw everywhere and in studying art. BU was my dream school! My scholarship has given me confidence in myself. This chance to study at BU has brought me a bright new view of the world! And now I want to find a way to give back.
"If I could say one thing to my scholarship donor, it would be a sincere thanks for bringing me this new confidence. I can't say for sure what my future will be, but this experience has already changed my life."

Jared Trout (MED '17)

"As a budding first generation physician, the Miselis scholarship has meant so much to me. To know straight off that one quarter of my debts are paid in full is a great source of security and allows me to apply myself to the study of medicine with less anxiety about the future and more freedom to pursue what I love. It is humbling that the Miselis family took such an interest in me while I was still an untried medical student at the beginning of my career. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the gift and my zeal for it to bear fruit."

Luisa Gil (CAS '19)

Luisa Gil's major at BU is political science, a decision she made after careful consideration. This bilingual young scholar had a keen interest in political science in high school, but medicine and business enticed her, too. Being able to attend BU and explore different options was a big benefit: "I finally settled on something I had always been passionate about-government and politics." She plans on law school next. Attending BU was made possible for Gil with the help of a scholarship funded by a generous bequest: "This scholarship allowed me to come to BU. I know that without it, I wouldn't be here."

Sarah Friedman (CFA'19)

SUPPORT THAT CHANGES LIVES

Sarah Friedman's passion lies where words meet visual art. It's a passion she's following at the Boston University College of Fine Arts, where she's earning her master's degree in graphic design thanks to the Constantin Alajálov Scholarship.

The full-tuition scholarship was established as part of a bequest by Alajálov, an American painter and illustrator known for his covers for The New Yorker, the Saturday Evening Post, and other magazines. The University also holds a collection of his photographs and scrapbooks.

My scholarship to BU changed my life completely," says Friedman (CFA'19). "I could not have gone back to school without it, and without going back to school, I would not have been able to realize my dream of becoming a graphic designer. Since receiving the scholarship, I've felt like a whole new person!"

Friedman's work, which was selected for the Boston Young Contemporaries installation at BU's 808 Gallery this past summer, ranges from the utilitarian to the whimsical. Just two examples: She designed the black-and-white poster announcing renegade artist Victoria Sobel's talk at the 2018 BU MFA Spring Lecture Series. And she created the remarkable Plant This Book: Wildflowers, a tiny magazine whose pages are packed with wildflower seeds-snapdragon, petunia, beardtongue, daisy, and more. Readers are instructed to "plant the seed paper" and watch as the flowers grow.

"It's so amazing to me that Alajálov, this great illustrator from before my time, is silently supporting me," says Friedman. "It makes me want to work harder and live up to his name. Thank you, Constantin!"

Katelin Blackburn (Sargent'14, MED'18)

MAKING DREAM CAREER IN HEALTHCARE A REALITY

Katelin Blackburn (Sargent'14, MED'18), chose Boston University for both undergraduate study and medical school because she wanted to learn from faculty committed to delivering holistic, patient-centered healthcare.

"BU strengthened my passion to effect change," says Blackburn. "The focus at MED on caring for the underserved fostered my desire to make advocacy work a hallmark of my career as a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine." She put that training into practice as a student, too, helping guide adolescents as they transitioned to adulthood, for example, by mentoring young people with chronic illnesses and researching interventions to curb teen dating violence.

Blackburn's early acceptance into MED through the Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum (MMEDIC) program gave her a jump-start. "MMEDIC allowed me to find incredible mentors among the medical school faculty even as an undergraduate," she says. And courses such as The Healer's Art, an elective that addressed themes such as cultivating compassion and helping ease grief and loss, underscored her dedication to patients' physical as well as psychosocial well-being.

"My MED scholarship helped make my dream career a reality," she says. "I would not have had the amazing opportunity to study and professionally grow at Boston University without the generosity of donors. Their support literally means the world to me."

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