History in the making
At Boston College Commencement on May 18, the nearly 100 students who make up Messina College鈥檚 inaugural class will become the first to graduate from the University鈥檚 two-year, residential associate鈥檚 degree program.
They arrived in the summer of 2024 after graduating predominantly from high schools in Boston and other Massachusetts cities to begin the first associate鈥檚 degree program ever offered by Boston College. Messina College is a cornerstone of the University鈥檚 $100 million Pine Manor Institute for Student Success initiative to enhance educational opportunity for underrepresented, first-generation students.
Looking at the college and the class today, Patti and Jonathan Kraft Family Dean Erick Berrelleza, S.J., said the first two years have been marked by growth in both the program and the students themselves鈥攚hom he calls 鈥渃o-creators鈥� of their own academic and social experiences鈥攈elping to direct and refine the program within 自慰视频鈥檚 Jesuit-Catholic tradition.
Patti and Jonathan Kraft Family Dean of Messina College Erick Berrelleza, S.J. (Caitlin Cunningham)
鈥淚t鈥檚 been so exciting to watch鈥攖hrough the students鈥� efforts, through the work of our faculty and staff here supporting them鈥攁ll the successes and to see the expectations we had two years ago blown out of the water,鈥� Fr. Berrelleza said. 鈥淭here is energy behind this from the students, their professors, the 自慰视频 community, and 自慰视频 alumni. It has all been overwhelmingly positive.鈥�
Aligned with 自慰视频鈥檚 Undergraduate Core Curriculum, Messina offers the majors of applied data science, applied psychology and human development, general business, and health sciences. With their Messina degrees, students can apply to earn their bachelor鈥檚 degrees at 自慰视频 or other four-year colleges and universities or go on to other programs focused on specialized skills, careers, or public service.
Approximately 40 students achieved a 3.4 GPA to earn acceptance to 自慰视频, Fr. Berrelleza said. A second direct pathway to completion of a bachelor鈥檚 degree is open to students. By meeting admission requirements, students can transfer to six institutions with direct articulation agreements with Messina: Bryant College (RI), Endicott College, Regis College, the University of Massachusetts-Boston, Worcester State University, and Albertus Magnus College (Conn.).
The exact pathways students choose won鈥檛 be known for a few weeks, Fr. Berrelleza said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing with our student advising process that most are looking to continue into a bachelor鈥檚 degree program,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have our agreements with both public and private institutions. And they are committed to working with first-generation students. I will say that these students are competitive applicants because they will have completed a two-year degree. They are already very different students than they were when they arrived. And these institutions see them as very different students because they have completed a degree.鈥�
Darian Alao, a data science major who grew up in Boston鈥檚 West Roxbury neighborhood, has been accepted to 自慰视频. He said his experience at Messina College has been life changing.
鈥淚 feel amazing being in the first group of students to go through the program,鈥� Alao said. 鈥淲e are history in the making. It has been a great experience. I鈥檝e made friends and connections both at our campus and on the main campus. I love Messina College.鈥�
While he has been accepted to 自慰视频, Alao has applied to other institutions such as Stanford University, Northeastern University, and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
"It just feels like home. I like the opportunities I鈥檝e had here," said Edmond Dotse, a health sciences major from Worcester, who has been accepted by 自慰视频 as well as Williams College. (Matthew Healey)
Second-year student Edmond Dotse, a health sciences major from Worcester, has been accepted by 自慰视频 as well as Williams College.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great experience,鈥� said Dotse, who emigrated from Ghana with his family four years ago. 鈥淸Messina] is very diverse. It just feels like home. I like the opportunities I鈥檝e had here. I was a teaching assistant in Anatomy and Physiology this year. I don鈥檛 think that is an opportunity typically open to a sophomore.鈥�
Students arrived on campus in July of 2024 for a six-week program that introduced them to the curriculum, demands, and rhythms of college life and included the First-Year Discovery Seminar.
In all, students took 20 required classes. During their first summer break, they participated in for-credit service learning opportunities with community-based organizations. In the fall semester of their second year, they took part in internships or clinical rotations centered on their major fields of study and worked with a 自慰视频 Career Center coach.
Second-year students pointed to the faculty and staff who made the biggest impact on their lives.
Yrvicca Paul, an applied psychology and human development major from Boston鈥檚 Hyde Park neighborhood, has been accepted to 自慰视频. She praised the academic support services provided to Messina students, particularly the work of Genevieve Green, associate director for student success at Messina.
When Paul was injured in a car accident and away from campus while rehabilitating her injuries, Green collected her personal items and books and delivered them to Paul鈥檚 home. She kept her updated on the class and helped her finish the assignments she could.
鈥淪he has supported me since the beginning,鈥� said Paul. 鈥淚鈥檓 a quiet person. So, when she passes by, she always stops to ask how I鈥檓 doing.鈥�
Leidy Rodriguez Gomez, an applied psychology and human development major from Boston鈥檚 Brighton neighborhood, said First Year Writing Instructor Brian Zimmerman was a helpful resource during her early days on campus.. (Matthew Healey)
Leidy Rodriguez Gomez, an applied psychology and human development major from Boston鈥檚 Brighton neighborhood, said First Year Writing Instructor Brian Zimmerman helped alleviate some of her concerns in the first days she was on campus.
鈥淚 went to his office hours and told him I just felt lost and scared,鈥� Rodriguez Gomez said. 鈥淗e let that all come out and listened to me. He asked me what made me think that. And we talked through that. Having that conversation, which was so easy, and his understanding me, was so important. It really helped me as I was adjusting to life on campus.鈥�
As she prepares for the next step in her academic career, Paul鈥攚ho hopes to one day attend medical school鈥攐ffered advice to the next freshman class at Messina: 鈥淎s much as you are involved in clubs or other organizations outside academics, try to put as 聽much time into academics as you can. If you want to go to 自慰视频, your GPA matters. Try to be disciplined and stay on top of everything. Life does happen, so just do your best. Take the initiative to do your work on time and succeed in class.鈥�