Boston College Commencement 2024: Honorary Degree Recipients

At its 148th Commencement on May 20, the University presented honorary degrees to five distinguished individuals. Read about the honorees here; their degree citations are below.

Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J.

Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., has dedicated his life to promoting education, the Catholic faith, and the common good. As the bishop of Hong Kong, named cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023, he has worked diligently to improve relations between the Vatican and China, which have lacked diplomatic ties for more than 70 years. Longing for his native Hong Kong to be a bridge-building church between Rome and Beijing, he became the first Hong Kong bishop in nearly four decades to visit the Chinese capital, and hosted Beijing’s Archbishop Joseph Li Shan in the first-ever visit by a Beijing bishop to Hong Kong. A devoted supporter of education, he has served as the supervisor of two Jesuit colleges in Hong Kong, chair of the Commission for Education of the Jesuit Province in China, and as a professor of psychology at the Holy Spirit Seminary of Hong Kong. While province superior of the Chinese Jesuits from 2018 to 2021, he worked with the Beijing Center to enhance dialogue and friendship between China and other cultures—in the tradition of 16th-century Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci, S.J. A renowned scholar, he earned degrees in psychology from the University of Minnesota, philosophy from Dublin’s Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, theology from the Holy Spirit Seminary, organizational development from Loyola University of Chicago, and human development and psychology from Harvard University, where he received a doctoral degree in 2006. For his commitment to the Catholic faith as a means to inspire and unite, Boston College awards Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.  

Dana Barros

A Boston native and product of Catholic schools who became one of the greatest basketball players in Boston College history and an all-star during a distinguished 13-year National Basketball Association career, Dana Barros has led a life characterized by dedication, entrepreneurship, service, and mentoring. The first Boston College basketball player to score more than 2,000 career points, he was inducted into the Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and his number was retired in 2017. While at BC, he was known for his kindness, humility, and infectious personality—traits that remain with him to this day. Since retiring from the NBA, he has excelled as an entrepreneur, public speaker, coach, television analyst, and leader of Boston’s Department of Recreation. He has also returned to the Heights to mentor young Eagles, and is the proud father of two BC graduates. In 2018, he opened a youth basketball club that bears his name. Ranked among the top ten basketball training centers in the U.S., it hosts practices, AAU games, tournaments, and camps for aspiring young athletes. For a career marked by great achievement on and off the court, and for service to young people throughout Greater Boston, Boston College awards Dana Barros the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. 

Sister Maria Teresa “Tere” de Loera Lopez

Sister Maria Teresa de Loera Lopez, of the Congregation of Catholic Teachers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, has been a dedicated servant of the poor in her native Mexico, as well as in Venezuela and Peru, where she has worked to build communities united in faith. Her commitment to religious education and pastoral care brought her to Boston College in 2014, one of a pioneering cohort of women religious in Catholic Extension’s U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program. She earned a master’s degree in applied leadership studies from the Woods College of Advancing Studies, which enabled her to use her leadership and ministerial skills to better serve those in need. After returning to Mexico, she led a large religious education program encompassing 60 parishes in the northern state of Chihuahua. To train catechists, she travels to distant parishes on dangerous roads where kidnappings are frequent. Despite the inherent risks, she is determined that no corner of her diocese be denied the love and compassion of the Church. For her courage, devotion to her vocation, and commitment to religious education, the University confers upon Sister Maria Teresa de Loera Lopez the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

James O’Connell, M.D.

Dr. James O’Connell has made caring for the homeless his life’s work. Known by his patients as “Doctor Jim,” he is the founding physician and president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which provides comprehensive, high-quality health care for those experiencing homelessness. Operating in shelters, in hospitals, and on the streets, the program utilizes an integrated team of providers to deliver services to more than 10,000 individuals each year. A New England native, he graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1985, despite having a prestigious fellowship in oncology awaiting him, he accepted a one-year post as a doctor for a new outreach program serving Boston’s homeless. Working at the Pine Street Inn and traveling by van to reach those living in the shadows changed the trajectory of his life. He became a “street doctor,” and for 40 years has provided medical care and personal connection to those most in need. Under his leadership, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program has been an innovator—opening the nation’s first medical respite care facility for homeless patients and creating the first electronic medical records system for the homeless. In recognition of his compassionate and exemplary care of society’s most vulnerable, Boston College awards James O’Connell the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.

Mary Skipper

For 32 years, Mary Skipper has served public and private schools in Greater Boston with an unwavering commitment to learning and providing support for disadvantaged students. As the superintendent of the Boston Public Schools since 2022, she has focused the district on enhancing academic performance while creating a more favorable environment for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Inspired by a fifth-grade teacher who instilled in her a love of reading, she became a teacher and began her career at Boston Latin Academy and Boston College High School, followed by 17 years in Boston public schools. She served as the founding headmaster and chief education officer of TechBoston Academy, a pilot school hailed as a national model for its cutting-edge curriculum and college placement success. As the network superintendent for Boston’s secondary schools, she supervised 34 high schools with nearly 20,000 students, helping them achieve the lowest dropout and highest graduation rates in the district’s history. Prior to being named superintendent in Boston, she led the Somerville Public Schools for seven years, helping the district to improve academic outcomes, while stemming withdrawals. For her lifelong contributions to education and advocacy for all students, Boston College awards Mary Skipper the degree of Doctor of Science in Education, honoris causa.