A desire to reexamine faith and spirituality. Finding oneself at a career crossroads. Exploring how to be of service to the world. As Americans live longer, healthier lives, rather than taking a step back, many who are in mid to later life are leaning in.
That’s the goal for Boston College Companions: Fellows for Leadership and Service (BCC FLS). A new, yearlong fellowship for individuals with accomplished careers and lived experience, the program has just welcomed a cohort of 13 Fellows interested in leaning in to create a next chapter with renewed purpose.
Drawing on BC’s Jesuit, Catholic roots, the BCC Fellowship offers a year of renewal that combines intergenerational, academic study with elements of Ignatian spirituality. Fellows are accompanied by their cohort and advisors as they immerse themselves in campus life, community, and a course of study that builds upon their years of experience and talents in search of renewed purpose, deeper meaning, and new ways to give back.
A year of renewal
Recently retired, Deborah McCarter is exploring how she wants to live after her career as a maternal-child health nurse, professor, and researcher. BCC FLS offered the dedicated time, community, and space she needed to reflect.
“How do I want to be of service in the world?” asked McCarter. “This program addresses intellectual, social, and spiritual aspects. I am looking forward to deepening relationships with my cohort, learning new disciplines, and meeting new people.”
The Fellows meet weekly in a seminar as part of their curriculum to help them think about their next chapter. From Boston excursions to presentations on their own lives, Fellows learn from each other as well as Boston College faculty and leaders.
Intergenerational learning
Intergenerational by design, Fellows audit classes alongside undergraduate and graduate students, bringing together a wealth of voices and finding new avenues of meaningful discussion and learning.
“I don’t feel out of place at all,” McCarter noted. “I have been accepted as one of the students just like all the others. All voices are valued.”
Like McCarter, Christopher “Kip” Doran is also excited about the fresh perspectives a new community—composed of people with accomplished careers and those just entering the workforce—will offer.
“The highest on my list of goals for this year is to interact with the other Fellows as well as students. Being around talented people and younger people has always helped keep me young.”
Enjoying the “extras”
As they audit classes, Fellows can partake in extracurricular and campus events, like lectures and liturgies. Doran, who is taking a course about the Beatles, was able to share his lived experience of seeing the band in the 1960s with fellow students and subsequently joined them on a field trip.
It’s those extra educational experiences, like field trips, that Bill Reynolds, a former information technology leader, is looking forward to.
“There are so many ways to learn: in the classroom from the teachers and students, from the interactions with the rest of the Companions’ cohort, from the variety of BC leaders we’ll get to meet, and the plethora of guest speakers on campus.
“As a younger student, I remember being too busy to enjoy all the learning that was available ‘outside of the classroom.’ As Fellows, we have time for the extras.”
What will your next chapter be?
A dedicated year of learning and accompaniment can help you transition into your next chapter. Join us at Boston College—applications for the 2026 cohort of Boston College Companions: Fellows for Leadership and Service are now open.
