Boston College delegation returns to help inspire hope in local children
Published:Wednesday | June 4, 2025 | 12:06 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer
On Monday, the longstanding partnership between Boston College and Jamaica was revitalised as Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, minister for education, skills, youth and information, welcomed a visiting delegation to the Office of the Prime Minister in St Andrew.
For almost 30 years, Boston College has partnered with St Theresa’s Catholic Church to work in solidarity with various communities that have faced social, political, and economic oppression.
“This morning I got to meet with the Boston College team that’s here in Jamaica to basically support our school system,” said Morris Dixon. “They’re mainly at Holy Family School, which is one of our schools in Jamaica that does well, but we know it’s in an inner-city community and it needs a lot of support.”
Led by Father Michael Davidson, director of the Montserrat Coalition at Boston College, the delegation is in Jamaica as part of an immersive two-week experience with local schools and communities, particularly in central Kingston.
“They come here every year and they even work with Father [Richard] Ho Lung and the Brothers of the Poor doing outreach work. They go into rural areas, into children’s homes and help out there,” the minister explained. “It’s really important, engagement like this, because these are students who are studying many things [such as] engineering, education [and] technology. Coming to Jamaica, spending two weeks in our schools and just sitting with the children, interacting with them, inspiring hope in them. That kind of thing is really very special.”
Among the visiting delegates was Nyla Boler, a recent graduate and aspiring nurse, who expressed how the experience in Jamaica has shaped her both personally and professionally.
“My experience in Jamaica so far has just been very beautiful,” Boler said. “From just seeing all the landmarks and everything, but also interacting with the people from different walks of life. I feel like it’s just been, for me personally, an uplifting experience.”
DEEPENED UNDERSTANDING
Boler said the visit has deepened her understanding of service which is a core value she adopted while studying at the Boston College.
“Service isn’t about going and doing for others. It’s about accompanying people through their different journeys and being there, a supportive ear and just to give unconditional love,” she shared.
Having spent some time with students at Holy Family, Boler said the connection so far has been transformational.
“They’ve really left an impact on me. They’ve taught me so much about myself that I didn’t realise I needed, especially after graduating. They pushed me more into going into paediatric health and working with kids.”
Meanwhile, Davidson, a Jamaican by birth, shared that the motivation behind the programme was deeply personal.
“I went to this school and I understood the importance of giving back because I had a principal, Sister [Mary] Benedict, that helped me come from a poor family,” he said. “Going to Boston College, I wanted to do something where I could bring the students to serve… because sometimes when you get a different perspective, your mindset changes.”
Davidson supports high financial need students through his work with the Montserrat Coalition. He explained that the programme is about more than financial aid and more about the cultivation of a mindset of generosity and service.
“If you’re giving, we expect our students to learn what it means to give,” he said, also emphasising that these delegates are not teachers but members of The Ministry of Presence. “Being a good steward to others has no boundaries … they can learn from these students … despite the poverty from the north and the poverty from Jamaica, we all have poverty, right?”
Looking ahead, Davidson said the team hopes to do more.
“We want to see how much we can help with the scholarship programme for the school,” he noted. “I just want to see the students in Jamaica, especially kids from the inner city, get quality education… that the education is not limited to where they’re from but they recognise the world is bigger.”
Morris Dixon echoed this desire for deeper collaboration.
“Boston College has a very good education programme,” she said. “They indicated that they would be willing to look at a scholarship programme for our teachers to be able to study with Boston College. It would be a very, very good thing in our system.”
She also mentioned plans to pursue a formal agreement.
“We’d love to explore an MOU and deepen the relationship, continue this part with the students, but also deepen it in terms of the support for our teachers.”
As the delegation continues its visit across Jamaican communities, their willingness to assist these vulnerable schools aligns with their journey to integrate their intellectual, personal, ethical, and religious formation.