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Senior Nanci Fiore-Chettiar, who served as president of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College this academic year, has been named recipient of the 2015 Dr. Donald Brown Award. Named in honor of the former director of the Office of AHANA Student Programs, the award recognizes a senior who has made extraordinary contributions to Boston College, and particularly the AHANA community, in the areas of leadership, service and academic development.
A sociology major from Westerly, RI, Fiore-Chettiar was chosen for the award based on her advocacy for AHANA students and her passion for working with all students to improve the conversations and the experiences related to diversity. She served as the co-director of FACES, a student organization committed to educating the BC community on issues of race, identity and systems of power and privilege. She developed the concepts and co-wrote the scripts for two FACES videos that responded to issues that emerged on campus and beyond. She also spearheaded the “We are BC” video to foster unity, acceptance and community on campus.
During her sophomore year, she created Backgrounds, a small-group discussion program for students to engage in conversation about diversity and experience in a safe environment.
In addition to UGBC, she has been involved at the University as an orientation leader and an AHANA Caucus representative. She participates in the Benjamin E. Mays Mentoring Program, offering guidance and advice to first-year students.
Fiore-Chettiar conducted an internship with the federal court at a re-entry program for non-violent offenders who had been arrested at a very early age. She plans to continue her studies after graduation at the BC School of Social Work.