Every year, BC Talks gives the Upper School a dedicated space to wrestle with the questions that matter most, about identity, belonging, and social justice. The program, coordinated in partnership with the School Culture and Equity Council (SCEC), is built on the belief that learning to have hard conversations is itself a skill worth practicing. This year, that conversation centered on immigration.

The topic was student-driven. BC students proposed that the series focus on current U.S. immigration policy, the lived experiences of immigrants in our communities, and the historical and political forces that have shaped both. Their goal: clear up misconceptions, understand the stakes, and create space for genuine dialogue.

The program is designed to help the community practice the skills needed to discuss current and past events, respectfully disagree, and celebrate a diversity of perspectives.— BC Talks program mission

A Keynote Rooted in Lived Expertise

The centerpiece of this year's installment was a keynote address from Lauren Blodgett, immigration attorney, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and founder of The Brave House, a New York City-based nonprofit serving immigrant and refugee young women and gender-expansive youth ages 16 to 24, with a particular focus on survivors of gender-based violence.

A summa cum laude graduate of Boston College, Blodgett went on to earn her law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she served on the board of the Harvard Immigration Project. Before law school, she worked at a refugee center in South Africa and completed a Fulbright scholarship in Austria. Her global experience, spanning Morocco, Thailand, Jordan, Tanzania, and Cambodia, informs an approach to human rights work she describes as holistic and joyful, one that has earned her features in the New York Times, Glamour, and on NASDAQ.

The Brave House, the organization Blodgett founded, provides free legal aid, mental health support, leadership training, job and school assistance, and community events to over 400 immigrant youth from more than 35 countries each year. Her work exemplifies the kind of systems-level thinking and community-rooted action that BC Talks aims to model for students.

From Listening to Action

True to the BC Talks format, the day didn't stop at passive listening. Following the keynote, students participated in action-oriented workshops and breakout sessions designed to deepen their understanding of legal rights, community support systems, and the art of storytelling as a tool for centering immigrant voices.

These interactive sessions are at the heart of what makes BC Talks distinctive. It's a program that insists on "courageous conversation," asking students not just to learn, but to engage, reflect, and ultimately act as more informed and empathetic members of the world beyond the BC campus.

As one of the school's signature anti-bias and anti-racist initiatives, BC Talks continues to be shaped by the very students it serves. This year's focus on immigration is a reminder that the most meaningful learning often starts with the students deciding: this is what we need to talk about.