Safia Khan ‘11 gives back so that today’s students can have the same opportunities she had. 

“Bottom line: Thayer was a great experience,” says Khan, who donated $10,000 to help complete the Valicenti Ice Rink at Thayer Sports Center.

She sees giving as a way to honor her parents, whose love of education brought her to Thayer. And she is grateful for how well the small classes and faculty mentors prepared her for Boston University and life beyond college. 

One of Khan’s fondest Thayer recollections was of the time a sixth grade teacher wrote letters to each class member to ease any “new school” jitters. But it would be difficult to rank her favorite memory. She recalls the Law and Society course that “taught you to have a voice”; school trips to South Africa and Paris; Winter Wars; and the opening night of a Beauty and the Beast production that she described as “Broadway-level.” 

Most of all, Khan cherishes the friendships made during her seven years at the Academy.

“It’s just important to give back,” she says. “It’s important to give back to the next generation and keep Thayer’s legacy thriving.”