Last month, 540 Carroll School seniors walked across the commencement stage. In doing so, a distinct group of these graduates were also walking in the footsteps of parents, siblings, and other relatives鈥攁dding one more Eagle to the family.
Some other Carroll School graduates were building a new legacy鈥攚ith younger siblings currently studying at Boston College. What follows here聽is a slide show of seven families that brought more than one Eagle to commencement.
David Roos
Photographed with: Wendy F. Roos聽鈥85 (mom) &聽J. Kenneth Roos iii聽鈥85 (dad)
Hometown: San Diego, California
Concentration: Finance and Accounting
鈥淚 was kind of a rebel and didn鈥檛 put BC on my list of schools. Since it鈥檚 where both of my parents went, I didn鈥檛 consider it very much. I was trying new and different things, but when I came here I just fell in love with the campus.
鈥淥n orientation day, you could choose two departments to go to and Professor Michael Barry was teaching the Finance Department section. And I realized, wow, these guys are so smart and funny, and they can somehow tie in enthusiasm to things that seem arcane.
鈥淚鈥檒l want my kids to come to BC some day. But I鈥檓 probably going to try to have the same approach as my parents: don鈥檛 say anything, wait until they鈥檙e interested, and keep introducing them鈥攏ot pushing them but introducing them鈥攖o BC. And BC will make them fall in love with it.鈥
Christine Zaccaro
Photographed with: Thomas Zaccaro, Law聽鈥84 (dad) & Joanne Caruso聽鈥82, Law聽鈥86 (mom)
Hometown: Los Angeles
Concentration: Marketing (African Studies minor)
鈥淢y dad went to Georgetown undergrad and both my parents have a lot of school pride, so growing up I actually always wanted to go to Georgetown and my sister always wanted to go to BC. I had all the Georgetown stuff and she had all the BC stuff. And when we were going on college tours, Georgetown was the school I wanted to see, but then I saw BC and fell in love with it. And it switched.
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 funny because now my sister is at Georgetown.
鈥淢y mom did so much here, but I wanted to build my own path. I wanted to make my own life here at BC and I think I was able to do that, which I love.
鈥淚 was walking in Fulton the other day and realized that it was one of the last times I鈥檇 be walking in there as a student. It really goes by so fast.鈥
Christopher McAvinn
Photographed with: David F. McAvinn聽鈥51 (grandfather), Paige McAvinn聽鈥18 (sister)聽& Peter J. McAvinn聽鈥84 (dad)
Hometown: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Concentration: Finance
鈥淚鈥檇 say my grandfather and father influenced me indirectly. They never said 鈥榶ou should go to BC鈥 or ever tried to influence me to go to BC. They let me find my own path, but throughout my life I鈥檝e been coming here to the football games and basketball games and I really loved the culture.
鈥淚 think my sister鈥檚 thought process was pretty much the same as mine. She liked the school and I think she made the right decision.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been great having her here. We even help each other with our homework sometimes.鈥
McAvinn鈥檚 grandfather offered some recollections via email, including these:
鈥淚n September 1947, I arrived at BC from Melrose by trolley. Like the majority, I would be a commuter for聽four years. My first classes were in wooden barracks-style classrooms from WWII on the Beacon Street side. A large percentage of the students were returned vets from WWII. The only coeds were in the School of Nursing.
鈥淚 graduated in 1951, just in time to be swept into the army for the Korean conflict.
鈥淚 take great pride in my large BC family.鈥
Diana Larach
Photographed with: Roger Larach聽鈥13 (brother)
Hometown: San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Concentrations: Marketing and Finance
鈥淚 had one year with my brother here. He was a senior and I was a freshman.
鈥淗e was really helpful showing me around and it was easier for me to get used to BC. He gave me advice. I never ate alone. He introduced me to his friends and we were able to make a nice big group. My friends were friends with his friends. It was really nice having him here.
鈥淚 liked that BC is Catholic. I come from a very strong Catholic background.
鈥淎nd I loved that I have everything here鈥擨 have both a Jesuit education and a business education. I really wanted to be well-rounded and I found that here.
鈥淚鈥檒l miss eating with my friends every day. We always go to Mac and get a big table all together. I studied a lot in McGuinn and I鈥檒l miss that library. Dean鈥檚 Coffee. I love Dean鈥檚 Coffee. I go to all of them, every Wednesday. Having someone to always help me or give me advice. BC has been so helpful with that.鈥
Christopher Haley
Photographed with: Kathleen Powers Haley聽鈥76 (mom; University Trustee)
Hometown: Dover, Massachusetts
Concentration: Finance (Chinese Language minor)
鈥淲e鈥檝e always been a 鈥楤C Family.鈥 Ever since I can remember, we鈥檝e always gone to football games and basketball games. That was always a highlight of my childhood. Watching the D-1 sports programs compete. When I was younger, it was always my dream to play BC football. I know that鈥檚 everyone鈥檚 dream.
鈥淲hen I was applying to colleges I originally only applied to the smaller, NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) schools. And then about halfway through the recruiting process, I decided I didn鈥檛 want to play college football anymore. I wanted to expand into a bigger school and meet a bunch of different people. I realized I wanted that 鈥榖ig school atmosphere.鈥
鈥淢y parents really let me have free reign on my application process, which was nice. It was actually pretty liberating. They didn鈥檛 have a tremendous influence, they really wanted me to make the decision for myself.鈥
Haley also has a BC brother鈥擬atthew J. Haley 鈥10.
Katelyn Chunias
Photographed with: George Chunias聽鈥18 (brother), Bill Cohane聽鈥86 (uncle鈥搕op center), Ryan Chunias聽鈥15 (brother), Kathleen Chunias聽(mom) & Stephen Chunias聽鈥86 (dad鈥揵ottom right)
Hometown: Topsfield, Massachusetts
Concentrations: Accounting and Management & Leadership
鈥淚 loved going to the same school as my brothers. I felt comfortable knowing, especially starting at BC, that I had my older brother here and could ask him any questions I had. It was also nice to act in that role for my younger brother when he started at BC.
鈥淟ast year was the first and only year that we all attended the same school at the same time, so it was a really unique experience for my family and me.
鈥淚've had so many different experiences here. My advice would be to make the most of this time.聽You never know what you'll like or what you'll find.鈥
Cameron Granger
Photographed with: Alyssa Granger聽鈥18
Hometown: Wilmington, Delaware
Concentrations: Finance and Philosophy
鈥淲e鈥檝e done a lot together [Cameron and his sister]. In terms of academics, I think I鈥檝e been able to be there for her by making sure that my friends who are pre-med were able to mentor her. I know we were on different tracks, but having extra outlets for her to use was helpful. My girlfriend is actually pre-med psych, so the two of them are probably closer than my girlfriend and I are. So she鈥檚 had a bunch of older mentors. And I think she鈥檚 really appreciated that. She glided through freshman year and sophomore year and now she鈥檚 about to be a junior.
鈥淭here鈥檚 never been a time at BC where I鈥檝e just sat back and said 鈥業 don鈥檛 know what to do with myself right now.鈥 There鈥檚 always something that can be done and that鈥檚 something I鈥檝e learned throughout my time at BC.
鈥淚 think that the most valuable lesson I could tell freshmen coming in is to come in humble because your time at BC will change you as a person and a leader. And you just need that leap of faith to do something new and test yourself in a different area of life to really find out who you could possibly become.鈥