BU Wheelock Honors 2022 Alumni Award Recipients
(l-r) Tanya Lord, Jennifer Bryson, Leah Hollis, and Dean David Chard at the 2022 BU Wheelock Alumni Award ceremony. Photos by Dave Green
BU Wheelock Honors 2022 Alumni Award Recipients
On September 29, the BU Wheelock community gathered to celebrate the achievements of five outstanding alumni who were the recipients of the 2022 Alumni Awards. They were recognized for their work cultivating positive self-perceptions among Black and Brown girls; supporting children with cancer and their families; fighting for high-quality healthcare; combating workplace bullying and harassment; and guiding future teachers to awaken children’s interest in learning about the world around them.
Young Alumni Award
Ivanna Solano (Wheelock’21)
Ivanna Solano, a Black Latina educator and social entrepreneur, is the founder of Love Your Magic, a nonprofit organization that supports the positive identity development of Black and Brown girls.
“This award is special to me because it affirms and centers our work of supporting the healthy development of Black and Brown girls through self-love, self-advocacy, and sisterhood. Black and Brown girls deserve to be seen, known, and celebrated.”
Ivanna Solano
Distinguished Contribution to Alma Mater & Alumni Award
Jennifer Bryson (Wheelock’98,’05,’21)
BU Wheelock’s director of elementary education and a senior lecturer, Jennifer Bryson talked about seeing herself as a teacher above all else.
“I received excellent training here at BU. But there are some lessons that I only learned in the classroom, and I have my students to thank for it.”
Jennifer Bryson
Global Impact Award
Julia Challinor (Wheelock’75)
Julia Challinor was honored for her work supporting children with cancer, their families, and medical practitioners who specialize in pediatric oncology. She emphasized the role BU Wheelock played in her relationship-building.
“Everything I learned at Wheelock has served me in good stead.”
Julia Challinor
Trailblazer Award
Tanya Lord (Wheelock’88)
The director of patient and family engagement at the Foundation for Healthy Communities, Tanya Lord was honored for her advocacy for patients and their families. She shared how the untimely death of her son Noah led to a career in research and advocacy.
“I really did see myself as an academic, but I changed and shifted a little bit as I realized one of the ways to transform healthcare was to bring into healthcare the lived experience and the voice and perspective of patients and families. ”
Tanya Lord
Lucy Wheelock Award
Leah P. Hollis (Wheelock’98)
Leah Hollis is an associate professor at Morgan State University whose research focuses on workplace bullying and its intersections with race and gender. She emphasized the many historical and modern figures who were instrumental in her success.
“I was a Martin Luther King, Jr., fellow when I attended [Boston University] from 1995 to 1998. . . . I know I stand on the shoulders of so many. I could talk about Sojourner Truth, who was one of the first to talk about intersectionality. We have Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ida B. Wells, Ella Baker, and other activists that we know today, such as Michelle Obama, the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and our current vice president, Kamala Harris.”
Leah Hollis