News

Entrepreneurial Spirit

I’m just back from a few days in San Francisco visiting BUA alums. The visit bolstered an impression I’ve been forming over the years: entrepreneurs and innovators are overrepresented in our alumni community. At first, this felt surprising, particularly for an East Coast school without a business focus and whose curriculum is proudly and intentionally rooted in the classical tradition. But on quick second thought, it makes sense. The students who choose BUA tend to come to us with an independent streak and accelerate down that path because of their experience here: the commute on public transportation; exploring the city with friends after school; choosing and navigating BU classes; developing and executing a senior thesis. Many of them not only lead but also start new clubs (some of which take off, some of which don’t), which is something we encourage and is likely the reason why we have 50+ clubs for 225 students! Many of them get some insight into cutting edge research and ideas through their BU classes and lab experiences. Putting that all together, we graduate students with the pieces successful entrepreneurs and innovators need. 

We think there is an opportunity to be even more intentional, given what we have learned. For students eager to explore these topics in a more structured, focused way, we are launching a new 11th grade Entrepreneurship & Innovation Seminar next year, which will run alongside two other long-standing seminars in STEM and the humanities. Students in the new seminar will visit – virtually and in person – entrepreneurs and innovators (mainly BUA alums and parents) to hear about their journeys and glean lessons; dive into case studies and some of the academic literature from the field; tap into resources at BU’s Questrom School of Business; and begin developing their own ideas in an incubator-style environment. Who knows? Maybe the next big thing will come from 1 University Road.

Opening Doors

One of my deepest hopes and commitments is to make sure this school is accessible to exceptionally kind and curious students around the Boston area regardless of their family’s financial situation. I am proud that over the last six admissions cycles, including this one, BUA has been in a position not to have a financial aid wait list; every student we thought should be here was admitted, and we provided the need-based financial aid that they qualified for. BUA is rare in that regard. Typically in schools like ours, financial aid budgets cover some but not all of the applicants whom the school would like to admit. Because of the choices we make in our budget every year and due to the tremendous generosity of our parent and alumni donors, we have been able to keep BUA’s doors open to the most deserving students. 

Financial accessibility is the first priority in our 2030 Strategic Vision. Why? There are two reasons. For one, schools like this one change lives. They create pathways and opportunities for young people that otherwise would not be open to them. In some cases, schools like this one change the trajectory of a whole family. And those students often pay it forward by devoting their careers to lifting up those around them. Second, the students who are here with the support of financial aid make us better. Having the brightest, most engaged students around the table, regardless of their socioeconomic status, leads to livelier conversations and deeper engagement. Students learn not just from teachers, but also from one another. Broad socioeconomic access is a central factor in this school’s culture and success.

Who Our Graduates Become

For all in the BUA community who marked the end of Ramadan last week, we hope that you enjoyed a blessed and happy time with your families. Eid Mubarak. Thank you to the members of our Middle Eastern and North African Student Association (MENASA) for organizing a community potluck celebration this evening.

I’m just back from two days in New York visiting alumni from across the three decades of BUA’s history. It is inspiring to see the people our alums have become. We heard stories from our college-aged alums at Columbia, NYU, and Barnard about the advanced coursework they are taking, the research and internships they are engaged in, and the ways that their experiences at BUA and BU help them make the most out of their new homes. Alums in the working world represent a wide range of pursuits: law, pharmaceuticals, technology, finance, consulting, academia, medicine, music, public service, and more – a beautiful reflection of the polymath nature of our community. Across those fields, two themes emerged. Many of our graduates acknowledged that they had risen further and faster than their colleagues of similar ages, and credited the skills they had honed at BUA: strong writing, confident and concise oral communication, the ability to engage empathetically around a conference table, sharp critical thinking skills, getting along with peers that they might disagree with; those habits and soft skills, rather than technical expertise, had made the difference. The other strain that ran through those conversations was a desire to give back and do some good in the world. Many of the alums we talked to nodded to the fact that they were the beneficiaries of gifts – an exceptional education, a loving family, caring mentors. They wanted to make sure that they found a way to pay that forward. For some, that meant choosing a career with a clear and positive social impact. For some, it meant becoming a mentor within their company or to younger BUA alums. For many, it meant contributing financially to BUA to make the school accessible to the next generation and volunteering their time to strengthen the community that nourished them. I am so proud of our graduates and grateful to them for their support.

Engaging Meaningfully Beyond BUA

We are just hours away from spring break! I wish our faculty, staff, students, and families some well deserved rest, fun, and connection.

28 of our students will spend a portion of their breaks traveling with their teachers and classmates. One group is headed for a cultural and historical exploration of southern Spain, with a healthy dose of geometry weaved in as they investigate architecture. Another will dive into the art and music of New Orleans. In June, a third group will take advantage of the warmer weather for a trip to Iceland engaged in geology and climate science while enjoying some outdoor adventure. These are not sightseeing trips. We have designed a series of traveling classrooms where young people can do in-depth, place-based work under the guidance of faculty experts.

Yesterday afternoon, on a cold gray day, about a dozen BUA students piled into a van and headed off to a local Brookline elementary school. They are serving as after-school tutors and mentors to the young students there once a week through the spring, just like a similar BUA cohort did in a Boston school for several months this fall. They help with homework, play games, share stories, and connect.

Our mission calls on students to challenge themselves to “engage meaningfully in our community and beyond.” Those words need to live a life beyond the website. I am proud that, as a school, we have done more than state the expectation. We intentionally created the after-school service program and reimagined the global travel program in the past few years as channels for students to experience what meaningful engagement outside of school feels like – with an idea, with a place, with people. These are by no means the only avenues available through the school, and I’m mindful that students and families also find deeply meaningful ways to engage in their communities. But I firmly believe that there is a great deal for our students to learn – about their world, about themselves, and about a life well lived – outside these walls. And it is a school’s obligation to give them those opportunities. I’m grateful to the faculty and staff who make these experiences happen, to the generous donors who have helped make the global trips financially accessible to all families, and to our students who are so eager to step outside with us!