or Lillie Marie Ferreira ’22, a first-generation, low-income student, attending a university like Boston College felt like an impossible dream. It’s a feeling that has grown all too common: the cost of higher education continues to rise, and families across the nation, and the socioeconomic spectrum, are navigating unpredicted financial challenges. 

This reality is what drove Kate ’93 and Mike Ascione ’93 to make a gift to student financial aid—the kind of gift that makes a BC education possible for students like Lillie, after all. It is also what inspired Boston College to launch Be a Beacon—a bold, $125 million fundraising effort to support financial aid and scholarships at the Heights. This monumental campaign, at its core, represents a reaffirmation of BC’s commitment to need-blind admission and to meeting full demonstrated need for qualifying undergraduate students, a commitment shared by only 20 private institutions of higher education in the United States.

In this time of great need, BC donors have responded with remarkable generosity and compassion, exceeding all expectations. In early February, Be a Beacon reached its initial fundraising goal, yet the campaign continues to raise vital awareness of the intense and ongoing hardships facing many BC students and families. On the waves of this momentum and recognizing there is much work left to do, BC extended the campaign with aspirations of raising a total of $200 million.

As Be a Beacon charges into its second academic year, it is poised to continue ensuring that all students—undergraduates, athletes, and graduates in every school—will benefit from the most robust financial assistance possible. Every donor has their own reason to give; every gift has its own story. There is a common thread: a faith in the power of a BC education—to transform not only individuals but the world—and a conviction that it belongs to everyone.

For the Asciones, their gift reflects a commitment to the greater good. “It is our personal responsibility, an expression of Jesuit values and our mission to serve others, to work to provide access to a BC education for all,” they said. “Our world needs well-formed citizens who are steeped in their education and have a reflective view of their identity and purpose.” 

Jennifer and Steven Capshaw ’93 share a similar belief in the power of student formation to promote change and cited it as a motivation to give. “At BC I learned there are things in life more important than yourself,” said Steven. “BC challenges young adults to use their talents in service of others, making the world a better place. We want to help close the gap to make these opportunities available to those who work just as hard but have fewer resources.” 

Like the Capshaws, when Peggy ’85 and Greg Strakosch ’84, P’14, ’16, ’17, made their gift, they considered what BC has meant to their family. “We know BC changes lives for the better, which leads to a better society,” they said. “It transformed our own lives as well as those of our children, and it continues to enrich them today. We want to help other families share that joy.”