Celebrating Ms. Evans

After a 21-year career at BUA, Ellen Evans has shared that the 2022-23 school year will be her last at BUA; she is retiring from full-time work in schools to take on part-time work closer to home and spend more time with her family. An extraordinarily gifted counselor and mentor, Ellen’s wisdom, empathy, hard work, patience, and perspective have been a gift to a generation of BUA students.

Ellen arrived to BU’s campus in 1994, when she took a job as assistant director of admissions in Boston University’s undergraduate admission office. She joined the BUA community in 2001. In the intervening years, she served as a wise and positive presence in the college office, helping generations of BUA students turn down the noise on the college process, focus on finding the right match, and learn about themselves along the way. In her role as university liaison, Ellen forged relationships with BU professors, working to ensure that BUA students making their way at the University had the support system they needed to succeed in undergraduate classes. Her inbox overflows with thousands of glowing emails from BU instructors marveling at the maturity and poise of BUA students. This year, she stepped into the role of co-director of student support, serving students alongside her longtime colleague and friend Jill Atkinson. 

Regardless of her position, we know Ellen best as the warm and thoughtful advisor, mentor, friend, and colleague who always – always – sees the best in people and puts students first. She is a supportive, non-judgemental presence, and over the years hundreds of students, and some faculty, too, have sought out Ellen for her counsel and comfort. She has been a champion for all students, with a particular commitment to supporting students from underserved communities. Her humility, intelligence, and kindness permeate every corner of school life and touch every student, parent/guardian, and colleague. Her legacy at BUA will be felt for many years to come.