“Do you remember your child’s college application process?” Parents Leadership Council Co-Chair Wayne Bloom, P’22, ’24, ’27 asked a Robsham Theater audience of Boston College parents gathered for a PLC event. “The anxiety you felt after your child submitted their application to BC, waiting months to hear back? Now think about the relief and joy you felt when the admission letter arrived and your child found out they could attend the school of their dreams.”

Over the years, Wayne and his wife and fellow PLC Co-Chair Veronica, P’22, ’24, ’27 have collected a whole litany of hallmark BC moments. Seeing Springsteen with a few hundred Eagles in the same Asbury Park dive bar where “the Boss” got his start in the ’70s, or their son Aidan’s (’22) recent proposal to his BC sweetheart Valeria ’22 on their favorite bench on campus, to name a few. Novel as these moments may be, their relationship with the University began in a familiar place: their son’s college search. 

Unsure of where he wanted to attend college, Aidan watched ESPN’s “The Man in the Red Bandana” documentary on Welles Crowther ’99 and had his answer. “This school is where I want to be,” Veronica remembers him saying. 

Fast forward two years and their youngest, Callahan ’24, followed her brother to BC. Not long after that, their second-eldest child, Molly, began her studies in the Connell School of Nursing’s doctoral program in nurse anesthesia. 

What Veronica and Wayne have found in Boston College, they say, is an institution equipped with three crucial qualities found in many successful organizations: mission, vision, and values. Seeing the impact the University has made on their children and in the wider world, the Blooms have thrown their support behind financial aid at BC. 

Wayne recalls his speech to those families that were just beginning their time at the Heights. “Now I want you to think about another family experiencing the same thing,” he said. “The college search, the stressful wait, the acceptance letter—but they don’t have the resources to cover the cost of their child’s education. Instead of celebrating, they have to explain to their kid why they can’t go to BC even though they were accepted. 

“The reason Veronica and I support financial aid at BC is so parents don’t have to have that conversation. We were fortunate, and we want to pay it forward. It’s not much more complicated than that.”

For some, the college search involves looking for a place where you feel at home in some nebulous way. Other people look for something entirely unfamiliar that will pull them out of their comfort zone and compel them to grow. 

In Boston College, Michael Buchanan ’27 of the San Francisco Bay Area found both. “He immediately felt like he belonged. Of all the schools we toured, that was the standout for him,” says Michael’s mother, Emilia Buchanan, P’27. “And he’s got a really curious mind—he wanted that stimulation of being in a completely new place.” 

“Absolutely,” adds Michael’s father, Tad Buchanan, MBA’93, P’27. “I think he really resonates with the Jesuit emphasis on service. He’s a very empathetic person who derives a lot of fulfillment out of giving back.” 

A guitarist (mostly self-taught during the pandemic), Michael found a community in BC’s tight-knit music program, which he’s chosen as a minor alongside his economics major. During his first year at the Heights, he began volunteering at a public school within walking distance of campus. Serving as an assistant to a K–8 music teacher, he relished the chance to teach and foster his love of music with the students.

In this, Emilia and Tad see a wonderful distillation of BC’s culture and approach to formative education: what you learn and receive at the Heights, you’re called to share with the next generation. “It’s been incredible seeing how perfect of a match BC has been with Michael’s values and personality,” says Tad. “We can’t imagine a better school for him, and by extension, our family”

For the Buchanans, the Parents Leadership Council has helped bridge the gap between their California home and the Heights. They were introduced to the Council by friends and former co-chairs April and Peter Kelly, P’22, ’26, whose enthusiasm for the group and BC was just infectious, says Emilia. More than peace of mind, the friendships formed and programming offered by the PLC have given them a sense of belonging in the community, even from the opposite coast. 

“When you get to know a school, you come in sort of naive,” says Tad. “Most families only have four years there, but the PLC helps you embrace the community immediately. You learn so much—about programs, opportunities, everything—and it’s incredible to be able to share that knowledge and pass it along to incoming families.”