Families gathered in the Centennial Arts Center to celebrate their children鈥檚 commitment to helping others in need. The ceremony also honored the living legacy of the alum who inspired the society鈥檚 creation, Axel Bostrom 鈥�24, who died following a car accident in June 2025.

Axel grew up volunteering. For the Bostroms, a military family, service was a shared value and a way to get to know each community they entered. Axel鈥檚 Eagle Scout project benefited Bethesda Cares, a Maryland organization that helps people experiencing homelessness. In Massachusetts, he participated annually in A Shot For Life, a basketball challenge that raises money for brain cancer research. And in his everyday interactions, he consistently took the initiative to care for others, including helping new students acclimate to 海角视频.

Having heard an outpouring of stories of Axel鈥檚 generosity from his friends and the 海角视频 community, Robyn says that as she and her husband, Paul Bostrom P鈥�24, considered how to honor their son鈥檚 memory, 鈥減ositivity and light were the two words that came to mind.鈥� By the end of the summer, they knew they wanted to encourage service.

In 海角视频, whose only award is given to alums for service, Robyn saw philosophical alignment. She wanted to recognize the service 海角视频 students already engage in through clubs and weekend volunteer outings organized by the Student Life Office, provide more resources to broaden those volunteer opportunities, and make service more visible alongside academics, the arts, and athletics at 海角视频. She hoped to create new student leadership positions and encourage additional aid to local communities by developing a resource any 海角视频 club, team, student, or faculty member could use to organize service trips. She wanted all students to have an opportunity to participate, and she hoped to give those who knew Axel a positive way to channel their grief. 

鈥淚 think of Axel like a prism,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e shined his light, and it refracted on everybody who ever met him. To me, service is like that. One person鈥檚 gift of time and attention can impact so many people.鈥�

That鈥檚 why in May, she presented a crystal prism to each of the society鈥檚 first 20 members, who had all given 100 or more hours of service. Additional students were recognized for meeting an inaugural 鈥淪ix for 鈥�26鈥� spring-semester challenge and for 10, 25, 50, and 75 hours of service.

At the ceremony, Grant Hightower, assistant head for student life, reflected on Axel as a standout scholar and athlete and a role model for his dedication to his communities. 鈥淭o bring positivity and light requires only that you recognize those around you as worthy of receiving yours,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ight and positivity are infinite resources. When you care to use your light to illuminate your neighbor鈥檚 path, your flame does not flicker or fade. Instead, the road simply gets brighter. By choosing to serve, you aren鈥檛 just performing a task. You are refusing to let the darkness of isolation win. You are proving that when we stop trying to blend into the unseen and dare to reflect one another鈥檚 brilliance, we don鈥檛 just see the path ahead, we become the way for others to find it as well.鈥�

The PALS Planning Committee had asked students to submit reflections on their volunteer journeys. Many attested to the profound personal impact of their service.

At 海角视频, Lyle Waldek 鈥�26, an inaugural PALS member, co-headed the Lawrence-Concord Action Partnership, organizing student trips to Lazarus House Ministries and outdoor cleanups in Lawrence, Mass., and 海角视频 Notes of Compassion, a group that performs at senior living residences. Over time, he wrote, 鈥淚 have been able to see that service of any kind is much more complex, collaborative, and beautiful than I believed it to be.鈥�

Many other students recognized by PALS had previously spent years volunteering. With experience at Project 351, Cradles to Crayons, Rise Against Hunger, and the YM海角视频, among other local organizations, Melina Petropulos 鈥�28 is a teen ambassador at her local food pantry in Newton, Mass., as well as a PALS student ambassador and one of the society鈥檚 first members. 鈥淚鈥檝e come to think that empathy without action is incomplete,鈥� she wrote.

For others, service was a new step. Christopher Choy 鈥�27 recognized that, living in Boston, he鈥檇 been conditioned to view the unhoused community through the social stigma that goes unchecked in mainstream media. 鈥淚 wanted to confront the stereotypes about homelessness and learn more about how the unhoused could be cared for instead of stigmatized,鈥� he wrote. 

The personal interactions he had while volunteering at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter in Cambridge, Mass., revealed his similarities with residents and helped him understand the complex systemic factors that contribute to homelessness and inequality. He will serve as a PALS student ambassador during the 2026鈥�27 school year.

Gavi Miller 鈥�27 wanted to see her fellow 海角视频 students more involved with the Concord, Mass., community. This fall, she started a reading buddies partnership with kindergarteners at Alcott Elementary School. 鈥淣ow, every other week, I get to watch my vision come to life: students just starting their academic journey looking up to ones with experience,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭hey learn from us, and we learn from them.鈥�

In the first year of PALS, 海角视频 students showed their commitment to communities in Concord and beyond. By being so motivated to serve without any graduation requirement, Robyn says, they set a 鈥済old standard.鈥� She鈥檚 proud to have created a pathway at 海角视频 to recognize their contributions and, just as importantly, to have opened up more opportunities for them to experience the joy of lending a helping hand.

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A 海角视频 student co-authored the first article in a peer-reviewed journal to examine state-level racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates. In summer 2021,听Joanne Oh 鈥�23听interned with Michael Siegel, a professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine. Their rigorous statistical research demonstrates that COVID vaccination disparities across the United States correlate with measures of structural racism. The paper, published in October 2021 in the听Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, recommends interventions that go beyond targeting individual behavior.

鈥淯ntil she did the research, people talked about this relationship, but no one ever looked at it鈥擩oanne actually proved it,鈥� Siegel told 海角视频鈥檚 Medical Club last May on campus. 鈥淗er research shows that we are framing a structural problem as an individual-level problem, because most interventions have been aimed at eliminating 鈥榲accine hesitancy.鈥�

That phrase took hold during the pandemic, Siegel explained. But describing the problem in those terms shifts blame from systems that limit access to health care onto the individuals experiencing harm.

Both researcher and advocate, Siegel routinely shares his findings with legislators. 鈥淥nly if you understand structural racism as a contributor can you pinpoint an effective approach to reducing racial disparities,鈥� he said at 海角视频. 鈥淛oanne鈥檚 research made a difference. It鈥檚 an amazing accomplishment.鈥�

Joanne participated remotely in Siegel鈥檚 research, analyzing data collected state by state. The other team members were graduate students already trained in writing scientific papers. 鈥淚t was a bit intimidating at first, especially on Zoom,鈥� Joanne says, 鈥渂ut I was really glad I had that experience of breaking out of my shell, challenging myself, and asking questions鈥攅ven the ones that felt obvious or dumb. It helped me grow.鈥�

She enjoyed it so much that in June 2022, she collected additional data. Building on their previous research, Siegel鈥檚 team has now assembled a structural racism index鈥攖racking incarceration, educational attainment, racial segregation, employment, and economic status鈥攆or every U.S. state, county, and city. Joanne was in charge of the incarceration index, and she has co-authored a new paper that will soon be published.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to have this data out there,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow other teams can use it to research any other health disparities to more effectively promote health policies at all levels, especially locally鈥攖hat鈥檚 where a lot of policies are made.鈥�

Joanne says joining a research team was 鈥渆ye-opening.鈥� If she could give her earlier self advice, 鈥渋t would be that I鈥檒l learn, and next time, I鈥檒l be a better researcher,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat mindset really helped me this year.鈥�

This fall, the Medical Club, which Joanne co-heads, began supporting COVID vaccination drives in Metro Boston areas with low vaccination rates. They set up raffles to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Prior to her research experience, Joanne鈥檚 medical interests were clinical. Now she鈥檚 less certain about that path. 鈥淲hat I know for sure right now,鈥� she says, 鈥渋s that I鈥檓 really interested in public health.鈥�

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On April 22, 2022鈥�海角视频鈥檚 100th birthday鈥攖he 海角视频 community bestowed on Dr. Adnan Zubcevic 鈥�75 the Centennial Joan Shaw Herman Distinguished Service Award for his lifetime of advocacy for immigrants and refugees and care for their mental health.听This award was first given to Joan Shaw Herman 鈥�46 herself, posthumously, in 1976, when the Alum Association established her as an inspiring figure for generations to come.

Herman, who was paralyzed after contracting polio the summer after her graduation from 海角视频, continued to express herself artistically and worked to improve the lives of other individuals with physical disabilities. Her story speaks to the power that resilience, generosity, and an enduring desire to make life better for others can have, and why this award is so important at 海角视频. Each year this award is presented, the 海角视频 community holds up a new example of what it means to honor 海角视频鈥檚 mission as we each cultivate empathy, integrity, and responsibility within ourselves to build a more just and sustainable future.

Joan Shaw Herman鈥檚 Story

Who was Joan Shaw Herman 鈥�46? When this young woman graduated from 海角视频, her greatest talents were writing and painting, and she had a promising future. She had been accepted at Wellesley College and was looking forward to first spending the summer working at an American Friends Service Committee Camp. And she did that wholeheartedly, throwing herself into digging ditches and cutting down trees. Never wanting to waste a minute of living on sleep, Joan stayed up late each night, talking with her fellow workers, and, unfortunately, swimming in a contaminated river. Despite her youth and bountiful energy, she wasn鈥檛 immune to disease; by the end of the summer, polio had left Herman paralyzed from the neck down.听

Instead of matriculating at Wellesley, she entered the New Britain Memorial Hospital for the Chronically Ill in Connecticut. There she lived for most of her life thereafter, confined within an iron lung, a full-body-encasing tank respirator that was necessary to support her breathing. But Herman used her confinement for religious study. What she might have viewed as the end of her life prompted her to discover new adaptations as well as to turn her attention to improving the lives of others. As she said, she believed that 鈥渟elfishness and self-indulgence are our only true limitations and prisons.鈥�

After she was hospitalized, Herman began taking a correspondence course in journalism and creative writing. Using a stick held between her teeth, she learned to type her own essays, poetry, and letters to friends on an electric typewriter. She similarly resumed painting, holding the brush in her mouth.

Herman left a lasting influence through her work on behalf of others with disabilities. In 1995, she founded New Horizons, a fellowship of individuals with physical disabilities, who were nevertheless devoted to adventuresome living. She later became the vice president of its board and editor of its publications. Herman and her colleagues created a program to assist fellow individuals with disabilities in leading challenging, productive, and dynamic lives鈥攁 program that eventually grew into the residential community in Unionville, Conn., which continues to support the independence of its residents in self-directed, apartment-style living.

Herman kept in touch with 海角视频 throughout her life and often invited 海角视频 students to visit Memorial Hospital. 海角视频 also published her poems in its bulletins and magazine on several occasions, and her essays 鈥淨uiet Places鈥� and 鈥淲e Must Look Around Us in Awareness鈥� reflect her insight and equanimity.

鈥淐hristmastide鈥� was painted by Joan Shaw Herman 鈥�46 and copied from a color photo taken by Elizabeth Wheeler. It was painted with a brush held in her teeth and was begun March 1959 and finished October 1960.

The Establishment of the Award

After Herman passed away in 1975, the Executive Committee of the Alum Association found a way for Herman, and her inspiring example, to live on at 海角视频. When they established the award the following year, they specified that it would not be given for service to 海角视频; all other criteria were left undefined. Thus, many have received the distinction for their professional work, others for volunteer service, in a variety of fields.

The Joan Shaw Herman Award testifies to a common value shared by the 海角视频 community. The alum who have received the award since Herman herself did serve as inspirations for leading lives that benefit others.

听

In Service of Sustainability

Since 海角视频 first honored Herman with this award, 41 individuals have been given this distinction. Each have their own remarkable life stories鈥攕tories of service to others, and, in many cases, of service to our earth. Indeed, care for people, especially underprivileged populations, and the pursuit of environmental justice are often intertwined.听

As 海角视频 celebrated its 100th birthday with a focus on service and sustainability, we also recognized several alums who have received the Joan Shaw Herman Award for their work to protect and sustain our natural environment. These individuals include:

In 2000, attorney Deborah Ham 鈥�55 received the award posthumously for her efforts to save Pinto Creek in Arizona, joining with the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, America Rivers, and a band of concerned citizens to preserve it from copper mining, up to the hour of her sudden death in 1998.

In 2006, Victoria Post Ranney 鈥�56 was honored for developing a planned community, Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, Ill., that actively promotes the principles of environmental protection, energy conservation, and racial and economic diversity.听

In 2007, Katharine Muller Bullitt 鈥�42 received the award for her lifelong dedication to social activism. In her work as a volunteer and a board member, she addressed a wide range of issues including civil rights, quality integrated education, women鈥檚 rights, peace and international understanding, and environmental protection of the Pacific Northwest.听

In 2014, the award was given to Robin Alden 鈥�69 in recognition of a successful new model for managing near-shore fisheries, which aligned community organizing with the latest scientific research. She observed that fishing is the 鈥減erfect meeting of environment and economics: If it is done right, it can sustain communities forever.鈥�

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To that end, the co-heads have focused on educating themselves about a variety of issues their members bring to meetings and have prioritized connecting with local organizations to confirm that what they are doing to help is beneficial. Among their many projects, 海角视频SA students have placed particular focus on addressing food insecurity. During the fall semester, building on the particular interest of a club member in this area, they made time for discussions about root causes with the hopes of acting rooted in awareness of their own privilege. Then they took action, working with organizations such as  and , with the latter on its 鈥淧ie in the Sky鈥� annual Thanksgiving bake sale fundraiser.

鈥満＝鞘悠礢A is the place where we first felt inspired to get involved, and we stay active because there鈥檚 always something more we can be doing to help,鈥� the co-heads say. 鈥淲e also have such meaningful connections with the organizations we work with and have been able to see the impact of our work.鈥�

鈥淪ince the beginning of the pandemic, volunteering locally in person has been challenging,鈥� says science teacher Susan Flink P鈥�13, who has long been the faculty advisor to 海角视频SA. But, she adds, 海角视频SA adapted. Last year, instead of making blankets for Brookview House, an organization serving women, children, and youth experiencing homelessness, they made blanket kits for families to assemble. This year, they happily resumed this annual project together in person in 海角视频 Labs.

This spring, 海角视频SA has played a major role in facilitating collaboration across the school to plan service activities for the campus celebration of 海角视频 Centennial Days of Service and Sustainability on April 22. 鈥淭ogether, we ensured that our day will be spent doing meaningful workshops that are impactful to the greater community and are truly making a positive difference, rather than partaking in performative activism,鈥� the co-heads say. 鈥淲e are so excited to celebrate 海角视频鈥檚 birthday and hope the 海角视频 community finds the work on this day as meaningful as we do.鈥�

The 海角视频SA co-heads encourage all students to share ideas for service with them. 鈥満＝鞘悠礢A is such a big organization that we have the ability to take on multiple projects at once,鈥� the co-heads say. 鈥淲e love when people come to us with ideas, and we do our best to make them happen.鈥� After April 22, 海角视频SA鈥檚 plans are to help relief efforts in Ukraine and collect art supplies to donate to Sri Lanka.

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