Boston U Honors 6 Students for Community Impact

When you pour your heart into both your studies and your community, people notice.

Boston University's Wheelock College of Education & Human Development honored six exceptional students with annual awards recognizing their academic achievements and meaningful community work. These aren't just students who aced their classes. They're changemakers who co-founded student organizations, logged hundreds of volunteer hours, and made campus better for everyone.

Vincent Semidey Jr. and Kate Logan won the Golden Key Award, chosen by their fellow students for embodying BU Wheelock's spirit. Vincent co-founded Conscious Educators of Color while working with middle school students through the Breakthrough Collaborative. Kate volunteered at Boston Children's Hospital and even spent time at an asylum seekers center in Sydney during study abroad.

Ritchel Amankwah earned the Currier Award for outstanding academics after making the Dean's List eight times. She helped lead Conscious Educators of Color and worked with Louisiana schools on educational research. She's heading to Teachers College to become an elementary teacher.

Charisma Costa-Melchor received the inaugural Excellence in Counseling Award after dedicating over 650 hours to crisis counseling. She mentored with Big Brothers Big Sisters, taught science to girls, and even published poetry while maintaining stellar grades.

Kiara Waller snagged the undergraduate Dean's Academic Excellence Award while making the Dean's List every single semester. She co-founded Conscious Educators of Color and landed a competitive internship at TNTP, a national education nonprofit.

Graduate student Tanya Songtachalert completed her PhD in counseling psychology while developing culturally responsive mental health interventions for Asian American youth and LGBTQ+ individuals. Her work centers on equity and community care, drawing from her own experience as the child of Southeast Asian immigrants.

The Ripple Effect

These six graduates represent thousands of hours invested in making education and mental health care more accessible and equitable. Vincent joins the Boston Teacher Residency. Ritchel heads to one of the nation's top teaching programs. Charisma continues her counseling studies at BU. Kate mentors children in Paris before medical school. Kiara pursues advanced education studies at UPenn. And Tanya takes her culturally responsive approach into professional practice.

Their work has already touched countless students, families, and communities. But here's what makes this truly special: they're just getting started.