Taylor Bryan Turner â23 doesnât often tell people that she hasnât graduated from college. As a professional who has worked to promote affordable housing for more than 10 years, itâs not a topic that comes up.
âI think people assume that I have a degree,â she said. âItâs something Iâve always been insecure about.â
When Turner first learned about the Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College, which offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs for students of all ages, she jumped at the opportunity to earn a diploma. What she didnât anticipate was that her Woods experience would do more than challenge her academicallyâit would deepen her relationship with herself and others, expand her vision for the future, and push her to rethink her lifeâs purpose.Ěý
âYou will find yourself here,â she said. âMaybe not immediately, but in a couple of months, maybe a year, you will feel inspired and encouraged.â
Educating the whole person
Boston College has long been a leader in formative education, offering a host of programs to help students engage in self-reflection and begin to integrate their academic, personal, and spiritual lives. At Woods College, despite the fact that many students are enrolled part time and donât live on campus, the focus on formation is strong.
"Boston College has a longstanding tradition of leadership in this area, and we're proud to share in that tradition," said Woods College Dean Karen Muncaster. "We're committed to caring for our students' intellectual and professional development, but also to helping and challenging them to lead meaningful, purposeful lives, and to be their best selves."
West Price-Ashby â19 grew up in the shadow of BCâs Chestnut Hill campus, and enrolled at Woods in 2015 after beginning his studies at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. Right away, he was struck by the interest that Woods professorsĚý showed not just in his academic work, but in his personal journey. Outside of class, he found himself opening up to peers and faculty members in a way he never expected.
âWoods gave me more confidence, and it allowed me to share my stories with people and start to recognize certain situations within myself,â he said. âIâve grown in all areas.â
In particular, Price-Ashby, a school counselor at YMCA of Greater Boston, credits Woods Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Engagement Claudia Pouravelis with helping him to articulate his goal of working in youth education.Ěý
âShe didnât see me as a number, or even as just a student,â he said. âShe saw me as an individual who has something to look forward to.âĚý
Time to reflectĚý
In keeping with its mission to make a Boston College education accessible to nontraditional students, the Woods College is quick to embrace opportunities to reflect the Universityâs signature focus on formation. A prime example is the schoolâs Manresa Experience, a year-long program launched in 2017 to help undergraduates discern their vocation, explore their faith, and connect with the BC community.Ěý
"Student formation programs have a vital place in adult education," said Pouravelis. "The Woods Manresa Experience is one of the many ways we help our students engage with the Boston College mission of graduating ethical and well-rounded leaders."
Each year, the Manresa Experienceânamed for the pivotal discernment experience of Jesuit founder St. Ignatius Loyola in Manresa, Spainâbrings students together through events and classroom discussions centered on a common text. For selected scholars, the program offers an off-campus retreat and leadership opportunities in the classroom.
This year's speaker is BC alumnus and trustee Steve Pemberton, whose best-selling memoir A Chance in the World chronicles his inspiring rise from orphan to executive and advocate for the disenfranchised.Ěý
From left to right: Woods College faculty member Kristin Bullwinkel, Missy DePillo '19, Taylor Bryan Turner '23, Woods College faculty member Dustin Rutledge, and West Price-Ashby '19. (Photo: Gary Wayne Gilbert)
Being nominated as a Manresa Experience Scholar was a turning point for Missy DePillo â19, who enrolled at Woods after a semester at Salem State. Last semester, she and the other scholars spent a weekend retreat deep in conversation about Tattoos on the Heart by Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., in which he describes his work helping former gang members in Los Angeles.
ĚýâGoing through the Manresa Experience Retreat truly changed my life,â DePillo said. âHaving time to reflect and think about my life, I realized how I can lead by example.â
Back on campus, DePillo and other Manresa Experience Scholars led classroom discussions based on the book. Judge James Menno â77, J.D. â86, who served for more than two decades as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court, has taught courses at Woods for 17 years. He was amazed by one such session held in his Law and Morality class.Ěý
âHands went flying up,â he recalled. âPeople who had never opened their mouths in my class were sharing left and right. We could have gone on all night.âĚý
Part of a community
What does it mean to be a Boston College student?
For Woods undergraduates, the question is one of three themes explored throughout the Manresa Experience, and its wording is no accident. Students like Turner are proud of their Woods affiliation, but say they also feel a strong connection to the University and its mission.
âIâm a Woods student, but I donât feel like an outlier,â Turner said. âIâm not very religious, but Iâve realized that BC and I share a lot of the same qualities. We are more the same than we are different.âĚý
Despite busy lives working full time or caring for family members, many Woods students enjoy spending time on campus outside of class. They regularly attend hockey games and football tailgates, and chat with professors at faculty barbecues. Many have developed strong bonds with classmates and staff, describing them as family.
âThereâs a never-ending sense of community,â said DePillo. âIt allows you to take your guard down and just be yourself.â
Compared to the stereotypical ânight schoolâ experienceâgoing to class and then leaving immediatelyâWoods stands out with its emphasis on educating the whole person, she said.ĚýĚý
âI feel like Woods kind of breaks that stigma of ânight school,ââ she said. âYou do the night program but you also have all these other activities. Iâm able to be on a club basketball teamâtheyâre not able to do that in a lot of schools.â
“ You will find yourself here. Maybe not immediately, but in a couple of months, maybe a year, you will feel inspired and encouraged. ”
A network of support
As a Manresa Experience Faculty Mentor, Woods instructor Dustin Rutledgeâwho also is an adjunct faculty member in the English Department of BCâs Morrissey College of Arts and Sciencesâhas regular conversations with students about their passions, career goals, and the role of spirituality in their lives. Thereâs no agenda to the sessionsâif a student is grappling with a personal dilemma, Rutledge is happy to spend the entire hour listening.Ěý
He sees the impact of these meetings, as well as conversations held during retreats, on his studentsâ performance in the classroom and in their overall wellbeing. He recalled one student in particular who began participating regularly in class after processing a difficult professional rejection during a Manresa Experience Retreat.Ěý
âThrough the reflection in the program she was able to see everything she was doing well already and take some pride in that,â he said. âThat was nice for me to see.âĚý
Similarly, Judge Menno has begun asking his students to write journal entries reflecting on the connections between their academic and personal lives. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
âItâs clear to me that students want to talk about this stuff; they want to share their personal experiences,â he said. âA lot of them have overcome significant challengesâevery student has a story.â
Finding the right path
Thanks to her Woods experience, DePillo now feels confident in her plans for the future. Judge Mennoâs class awakened her interest in criminal justice, while the Manresa Experience convinced her of her desire for a moral career that serves others. She also hopes to fuel her interest in technology by pursuing a master's degree in the school's Cybersecurity Policy and Governance program.Ěý
Conversations with peers and mentors helped her discern what mattered most to her, she said, adding, âI want to lead by example; thatâs how I want to flourish in my career.â
For Turner, studying at Woods has opened up a world of possibilities. She sees a potential future career in the mental health sphere and is considering pursuing a masterâs degree once she graduates.Ěý
âI still donât know exactly what I want to be âwhen I grow up,â but thatâs ok,â she said. âAs a Woods student I can learn and feel inspired just as I would if I were 18 or 19 years oldâopening my mind to new things and broadening my horizons.â
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âAlix Hackett | University Communications