Support WBUR
Paid for by Boston College
Boston College program helps accomplished professionals answer: 'What will my next chapter be?'
This post was paid for and produced by our sponsor, Boston College, in collaboration with WBUR’s Business Partnerships team. WBUR’s editorial teams are independent of business teams and were not involved in the production of this post. For more information about Boston College and their Companions program, click here.
Americans are living longer, healthier lives. Rather than taking a step back, many who are in mid to later life are leaning in.
Boston College Companions: Fellows for Leadership and Service (BCC FLS), a yearlong fellowship, recently welcomed a cohort of 13 accomplished individuals who are ready to do just that.
The fellowship distinctively draws on BC’s Jesuit, Catholic roots to combine intergenerational, academic study with elements of spirituality. Fellows from all faith backgrounds immerse themselves in campus life, community and study – engaging in learning that builds upon their years of experience and talents in search of new purpose, deeper meaning and new ways to give back.
Writing your next chapter
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. She found the answer in BCC FLS. “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 a purposeful 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 theater productions. 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.
“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."
Bill Reynolds
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 in an intergenerational community 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.
More from Boston College Companions: Fellows for Leadership and Service: