CGS Alumna Wins 2019 BU Young Alumni Award
Erica V. Mosca (CGS’06, COM’08) received one of the most prestigious awards at Boston University, the Young Alumni Award, at BU’s Alumni Weekend on Saturday September 21, 2019.
Mosca is the founder and executive director of the non-profit Leaders in Training, based in Las Vegas, which empowers first-generation students to get into college, graduate, and pursue leadership roles in their communities.
At the award ceremony, Mosca credited her time at BU as transformative, a learning experience she wants to make accessible for all students.
“They took a chance on me when they accepted me and gave me a world of opportunities,” she said.
Mosca is herself a first-generation college student. In a panel prior to the award ceremony, she said that her experiences motivated her to start the nonprofit, so that all students could have the opportunity to thrive, no matter their background or connections.
“You think after you graduate, you’re ready for the world, but I didn’t have the connections everyone else did,” she said at the panel.
After graduating in 2008, Mosca spent two years with Teach for America, where she realized her passion for education. From there, she decided to pursue a path of teaching in communities in need of resources.
“Demography is not destiny,” she said.
This belief led her to create Leaders In Training in 2012. Through her work with the organization, Mosca has impacted the lives of hundreds of students.
She said her experiences as a freshman and sophomore in the College of General Studies helped pave the way for her success after graduation.
“Without CGS, I wouldn’t be who I am today. The foundations and what you learn there can’t be replaced,” she said.
“BU helped me realize who I wanted to be when I grow up,” she added.
The Best of BU Alumni Awards are awarded yearly at BU’s annual Alumni Weekend. The award allows the BU community to hear from Terriers who have distinguished themselves by making an impact in their communities. Also recognized with this year’s Young Alumni Award was Andy Vargas (Pardee ‘15, CAS ‘15).
— Story and photos by Kirthana Iyer