A year ago this week, Boston University made the unprecedented announcement that it was shutting down dorms and sending students home as the COVID-19 pandemic surged in Boston.
As the one-year anniversary of that historic move approached, BU invited members of the community to nominate their unsung heroes of the pandemic—a teacher, student, staff person, or alum who made a difference in their life, and the life of the University.
AMI’s Dionne Lomax was among those nominated, by Starrchild Jackson (CAS’21)!
“I have never had a professor like Dionne Lomax. When I first walked into LA 245 last spring, I could feel there was something different about her. As a Black student, very few of my peers look like me on campus and there are even fewer professors that do. Professor Lomax has a passion for teaching young people, a drive to make sure they are actually learning. As a new professor, I don’t think she knows the true impact she has on her students.
When we went to LfA, Professor Lomax was available to all of us. She was flexible on her syllabus, and in truth, she was one of the few who seemed to care about our well-being. I have been able to meet with her countless times just to check in and see how things are going. I’ve never had that in a professor once I no longer had their class.
If that wasn’t enough, she has been a guiding hand in helping me apply to law school. She’s told me her experiences, helped me prepare, written recommendations, and done anything else she can to make sure I become an attorney. Black professors matter to students like me and others. Seeing them makes me believe that this University can be my home too. Professor Lomax will be one of the greatest mentors I have ever encountered, and I’m so thankful I took her class one year ago!”
