Student & Alumni Voices

We inviteÌýcurrent IS majors and minors as well as alumni to submit a photo or video "postcard," or a short essay reflecting on your academic, professional, and personal experiences. We'll feature them in our weekly newsletter and, in the case of the essays, post them in full.

Student Voices


Spring 2024


Fall 2023


Spring 2023


Fall 2022


Spring 2022


Fall 2021


Spring 2021


Fall 2020


Spring 2020


Fall 2019

Alumni Voices


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Postcards


Fall 2021Ìý Ìý

Evan Fagan '22  surveys the pyramids of Giza atop a camel.

"This photo was taken at the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. I am currently studying abroad and taking Arabic at the American University in Cairo. " - Evan Fagan '22

Students meet with Bosnian peacemaker Amra Pandzo in an outdoor classroom in Vis, Croatia

"Amra Pandzo, a Bosnian Muslim activist and peacebuilder, speaks to students in the BC in Croatia program on August 23, 2021 in their outdoor classroom -- a restaurant's lush garden courtyard on the island of Vis. Ms. Pandzo was a guest speaker in my short course on "Sovereignty: Religious and Political Perspectives," taught at the beginning of the semester abroad program." -- Prof. Erik Owens

Students from Prof. Grant's "Where on Earth" course visit the Mapparium in °¬¿ÉÖ±²¥.

"Small groups from this Fall's "Where on Earth" class took a trip this weekend to the Mapparium, a three-story-tall, inside-out stained-glass globe that is bisected in the middle by a glass walkway at the Mary Baker Eddy Library in the Back Bay. Highly recommended for everyone!." - Prof. Andrew Grant

Shoppers at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

"Shoppers at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul this summer." -- Urwa Hameed '22

Majestic waterfall in Guizhou, China

"Greetings from Guizhou, China! Not only is this waterfall beautiful from the outside, but there is a hidden cave behind it." -- Mary Su '22


Spring 2021Ìý Ìý

Pearson Love '22 watches the 2020 election returns.

"Coming back to campus this semester was nerve-wracking but has ultimately been a great experience so far. Walking to my job in Devlin and seeing the snow capped buildings make me grateful that we were able to come back, and hopeful for an even more open campus later in the spring." - Grace Cavanagh '21

The Forbidden City, Beijing, China

"The photo was taken in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The pandemic has taken away many things, but one good thing was the ability to travel around my home country and appreciate my own culture." - Yinpeng Feng '21


Fall 2020Ìý Ìý

Pearson Love '22 watches the 2020 election returns.

"Like everyone else at BC and around the country, my roommates and I spent the week following the presidential election. Regardless of who you voted for, I'm sure everyone is as relieved as I am that it is over." - Pearson Love '22

Shenzhen Bay Park in Shenzhen, China

This photo was taken at the Shenzhen Bay Park in Shenzhen, China by Ronghai Xie '22, who added this quote from George Santayana: "We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible."

Pearson Love '21 connects with the other IS Program Peer Advisors from O'Neil Plaza on campus.

In the era of COVID-19, many things have dramatically changed, including our students' study habits. Senior Brianna Stonick's desk in Rubenstein Hall lets her spend less time at O'Neill Library. Can you spot her masks and hand sanitizer?

Pearson Love '21 connects with the other IS Program Peer Advisors from O'Neil Plaza on campus.

Pearson Love '22 connects with the other IS Program Peer Advisors from O'Neil Plaza on campus.

The Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, before the COVID-19 outbreak. Mary Su '22 writes, "The lighthouse guides ships traveling at night, and IÌýhope pictures like this can guide us through this difficult time."

The Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, before the COVID-19 outbreak. Mary Su '22 writes, "The lighthouse guides ships traveling at night, and IÌýhope pictures like this can guide us through this difficult time."


Spring 2020Ìý Ìý

"This is a photo taken of my mom," writes IS Major Zoë Fanning '20, "after we'd hiked above the chairlift at Timberline Lodge on Oregon's Mount Hood. After the chaos of moving back across the country in March, it provided some much needed calm and perspective."
Piper McGavin '20 joins her newly-online course "Ethics, Religion and International Politics," taught by Professor Mara Willard.
A view of the Matterhorn taken in Zermatt, Switzerland, by Piper McGavin '20. The mountain is at the border of Switzerland and Italy and is one of the most famous peaks in Europe.
"After returning from a Fulbright grant in Malaysia," writes Lori Niehaus '18, "My friends and I started 'Feed the Front Line' which supports local, family-owned restaurants and COVID-19 frontline workers by purchasing large food orders and donating them to staff at local hospitals, testing centers, and fire departments!"
Grace Cavanagh '21 sends this photo from a march for International Women's Day in Granada, Spain.
Ata Chowdhry '21 stands near the iconic Tower Bridge in London, England, where she studied abroad. Over 40,000 people use the Tower Bridge every day!
Jasmine Schmidt '21 reports that social distancing isn't so bad in New Hampshire's Mount Washington Valley!
Isabel Faherty '21 took this photo of elephants in Kruger National Park, South Africa's largest nature reserve, while studying in the country this year.
Amanda Brown '21 took this photo over Winter Break at Lion Rock hiking trail, which overlooks Hong Kong.
Riley Ford '21 writes: "During my time studying abroad, I really enjoyed my trip to Montserrat, Spain, a place where St. Ignatius spent time during his pilgrimage."
Maddy Van Husen '20 rides through a little sand storm in Wadi Rum, Jordan. One of her favorite memories in Jordan is watching the colors of the rocks and sand change during sunrise.
Christiane Paulhus '21 sends this photo of the view from St. Mathias Cathedral’s tower overlooking the beautiful city of Budapest, Hungary.

Fall 2019

Claire Wortsman '20 captures a beautiful sunny day during a walk in Muskoka, Ontario.
Gabriela Ontaneda '20 sends this photo from la Plaza de Cibeles, lit up for International Women's Day (March 8th), in Madrid, Spain.
Liana Lopez '20 paddleboards over clear waters in Apo Island, Dumaguete, one of seven thousand islands in the Philippines
Piper McGavin '20 sends this photo of the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations meeting room, United Nations headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
A view of the Andes mountains during a short hike through the Pisac Archeological Park near Cusco, Peru, from Grace Cavanaugh '21
Julia Bloechl '20 captured this view from the tower of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Oxford University, where she studied abroad last year. At left is the Radcliffe Camera, a library constructed in 1748.
Sarah Engleberg-NolanÌý'20 rides a camel through the Sahara Desert near Merzouga, Morocco, about 30Ìýmiles west of the Algerian border.
John Gehman '21 poses with an Alpaca while hiking the Quilotoa Volcano and Lagoon just south of Quito, Ecuador in September 2019.
Mahima Menghani '21 sends this postcard from Copenhagen, where the famous Nyhavn canal's colorful townhouses have an equally colorful history as a hangout for sailors to drink and enjoy the city between their travels.
Sophia Fox '20 sent this postcard of traditional Galway rock walls on Inisheer, Aran Islands
Haley Walker '20 and her supervisor at Oxfam International present a paper on providing aid to Syria. Haley interned at Oxfam International while studying abroad in Geneva, Switzerland in Fall 2019.
Sun sets over a village in Siaya County, in southwestern Kenya near the Ugandan Border, in a photo taken by Victoria Pouille ‘20, who lived there (and in the Ivory Coast) for several weeks in August 2019 during a research and service trip focusing on women’s reproductive health.
Ellie Kalemkeridis '20 took this photo from a rooftop in Monastiraki Square in Athens, Greece, where the Parthenon is lit every night and shines over the entirety of the city atop the Acropolis.
Patrick O'Connell '20 captures the late afternoon view of Montmartre from his home-stay apartment in Paris, France.
William Kim '20 sent this photo of the SuperTree Grove in Singapore, in front of the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
A man walks a foal through the cobblestone streets of Hebron, Palestine, in this January 2019 photo from Prof. Erik Owens