CFA students honored at the 2024 BU Women’s Guild Awards
CFA students honored at the 2024 BU Women’s Guild Awards
On Thursday, May 23, the executive board members of BU Women’s Guild celebrated the 2024 awardees at the BUWG Lunch & Awards Presentation.
In 1981, the Boston University Women’s Guild established its scholarship program for graduate women over the age of 30. They have awarded more than 200 scholarships to poets, scientists, theologians, social workers, historians, engineers, doctors, journalists, lawyers, artists, and the list goes on.
On Thursday, May 23, the BU Women’s Guild (BUWG) celebrated the 2024 awardees at their BUWG Lunch & Awards Presentation. The annual event is hosted by BUWG President, Amanda Urias, and Awards Committee Chair & Former BUWG President, Elizabeth Flagg.
CFA is proud to see a number of students recognized with this honor. Join us in congratulating the winning students!
BU Women’s Guild Award Awardees
Susan Swirsley (CFA’25)
“It is an honor to be selected to receive a 2024 Boston University Women’s Guild Award and to be in the company of so many talented female graduate students. This award will help me to expand the scope and scale of my artistic practice, making work that is more robust and visually arresting.”
Susan Swirsley is a photo-based visual artist using historical and contemporary processes to translate film and camera-less photographic images onto surfaces. Her work is about process, materiality, illusion and the intersection of preservation and chance. Travels throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, along with her background in business and the social sciences, informs her artistic practice and curiosity about the connection between photography, other artistic disciplines and culture. Susan is a 2025 MFA candidate in Print Media & Photography at Boston University.
BU Women’s Guild Women of Color Circle Award
Carmen Maria Hernandez (CFA’26)
“I am honored to be the recipient of the BU Women’s Guild WOCC Award. This award will allow me to finically support my education and research on the impact of community arts programs within nonprofits. I hope this will inspire young women of color to pursue a higher education within the arts.”
Carmen Maria Hernandez is a first-year student in the MA of Art Education program at Boston University College of Fine Arts and holds a BA in Studio Arts from UCLA. She brings over a decade of arts education experience. She is committed in fostering creativity and cultural equity, and has developed impactful arts programs across various institutions in Southern California and Greater Boston. Her goal during her academic research is to create innovative and engaging programs that allows all individuals, regardless of background or socioeconomic status to have accessible arts education.
Florence Engle Randall Fiction Prize
J Lamoureux (CFA’27)
“It is such an honor to be receiving this award, especially as someone who always looks up to the women in my life for support and inspiration. Without them, this wouldn’t be possible for me. I hope I can be equally as inspiring as they are one day.”
J Lamoureux is a first-year student at Boston University College of Fine Arts, studying Vocal Performance in the School of Music. While they dream of becoming an opera singer, they have always had a passion and talent for writing as well. To them, the art of writing is intertwined directly with the art of music, as either subject can easily be amplified by the other. Creative writing, and the many teachers that came with it, has helped J become the person they are today and find the ability to communicate with others. One day, they hope to publish their own poetry book.
BU Women’s Council Scholarship
Catherine Butler (CFA’25)
“Words cannot express how grateful I am to receive the Boston University Women’s Guild Award. This award will help me immensely in my final year at BU as I strive towards purchasing a new piccolo, which will help me succeed in professional orchestral auditions.”
Catherine Butler is a Graduate Performance Diploma student at Boston University. She has earned her bachelor’s from Wayne State University in Instrumental Music Education and Flute Performance and her master’s in Flute Performance from Boston University. She was a finalist in the James Pappoutsakis 44th Memorial Flute Competition and the winner of the 2018-2019 Wayne State Concerto Competition. Currently, she freelances around the Boston area, performing with the Du Bois Orchestra and Longwood Symphony. Catherine spends her summers performing professionally with the Ohio Light Opera.
Sophie Lewis (CFA’27)
“I am so thankful to the BU Women’s Guild for their support of both me, and my research! This assistance means that I will be able to complete my practicum and gain the hands on classroom experience which will make my research more accessible to educators across America.”
Sophie Lewis is a Doctor of Musical Arts student in Music Education at the College of Fine Arts. She holds a Bachelors degree in music from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland and a Masters degree in musicology from the University of Denver, Colorado. Her research focuses on the sustainability of workload in music education students and how student values compare to institutional values. She is also pursuing her K-12 teaching license in music education. In her spare time, Sophie enjoys reading, playing her cello, and birdwatching in the Boston area.
Aija Reke (CFA’28)
“I am incredibly honored, grateful, and humbled to receive the Boston University Women’s Guild Award. I am determined to generate hope and build for future generations through my work in music and education. I am devoted to bringing the joy of music to communities here in the USA and abroad.”
Aija is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at BU College of Fine Arts where she studies with Prof. Bayla Keyes. Her solo album “Latvian Reflections” was released under the Spice Classics label (2021). Her composition “Meditation-Prayer” was published in 2019 by Musica Baltica (Edition Peters). She recorded for Albany Records label on Ketty Nez’s album “Far Sight Sun Light” (2023). Aija performs regularly with ALEA III and with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Aija has taught at the Boston Music Project, Brookline Public Schools, and the El Sistema program. More: aijareke.com
Maidah Salman (CFA’25)
“I am honored to have received the Boston University Women’s Guild Award. It will serve as a stepping stone towards my goals to establish a career in academia and pursuing a Ph.D, thereby helping International students, especially women, in navigating the struggles of pursuing their education abroad.”
Maidah Salman is a MFA candidate studying Graphic Design at Boston University School of Visual Arts. Born and raised in Pakistan, Maidah has moved from city to city her entire life due to her father’s occupation. She eventually settled down in the city of Islamabad, to pursue a BFA in Visual Communication Design. For the past year Maidah has been in Boston, furthering her education in the field of Visual Arts.