Holy Cross Music Professor Honored as 2021 Hometown Hero by Worcester Magazine

Worcester Magazine has recently named Megan Ross '11, visiting assistant professor of music at Holy Cross, a 2021 Hometown Hero for her role as executive director of the Worcester chapter of the Hip Hop Congress, a national nonprofit that works to bring social change through hip hop education.

Now in its 11th year, the "Hometown Heroes" recognition highlights the efforts of people who've made a difference in the Worcester community through their hard work and generosity. According to the magazine, these are people "who go above and beyond to see that culture is preserved, and that knowledge is accessible. They all do it in different ways, but they work every day to make the city a better place, and to make lives better for their neighbors."

One of eight honorees this year, Ross founded the Worcester chapter of Hip Hop Congress together with fellow Class of 2011 alumnus Che Anderson and several others in an effort to bring positive social change to the streets of Worcester through the thing she loves most, music.

Specializing in hip hop music and education, but also in the reception of Beethoven and his music, Ross's research in Beethoven studies began as a music major at Holy Cross.

Since returning to The Hill, Professor Ross has been helping first-year students at Holy Cross immerse themselves in Worcester's hip hop culture through the hip hop education class "Hip Hop & the Community" and the "Hip Hop With the Woo Crew" web series. The initial projects were made possible through a Scholarship in Action Seed Grant.

The full list of honorees is available at WorcesterMag.com.