Cheers erupted in the Murray Function Room as Esosasehia Owens’ family embraced her, tears of joy falling, moments after she was announced as the winner of the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship.
“Being named the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship is not just a reflection of my journey, but a testament to the village that has shaped me into the personal leader I am today,” said Owens, MCAS ’26.
Owens was named the 43rd winner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee’s annual scholarship in a ceremony Monday night.
The scholarship is awarded to a Boston College junior who has shown academic achievement, leadership in extracurricular activities, community service, and involvement in the African American community, according to the committee’s website.
Owens will receive up to $35,000 toward her senior year tuition and a $1,000 certificate to the BC Bookstore.
After being named the recipient, Owens thanked her family, friends, and mentors for their unwavering support and love, which she credited as the foundation of her life.
“To my mom and dad, thank you for instilling in me the power of education and the responsibility to use it as a force for change and for good,” Owens said. “Your love and guidance will never go unnoticed, and I pray I’ll continue to make you proud every day of my life.”
In her speech, Owens discussed how King’s legacy has defined what it means to demonstrate compassion for others. She also highlighted the contributions the other finalists have made to their communities.
“This scholarship is more than an honor,” Owens said. “It is a call to continue the work of uplifting others.”
Owens was one of five finalists—along with Victoria Adegboyega, MCAS ’26; Anthony Delgado, LSEHD ’26; Skyla DeSimone, MCAS ’26; and Nnenna Okorie, MCAS ’26—chosen from an original pool of 20 applicants. Each will receive a $3,000 scholarship and a $1,000 gift certificate to the BC Bookstore.
In a video highlighting her advocacy work, Owens emphasized the gap in education access across Massachusetts and explained how her work as a teaching assistant on a Jamaica Magis service immersion trip shaped her understanding of what it means to be an educator.
“Without equal access to education, the idea of a unified society remains unattainable,” Owen said.
In addition to her work with Jamaica Magis, Owens is a member of Synergy Hip Hop Dance Company, a student mentor at Boston Partners, and has served as an assistant coach for middle school girls at Harlem Lacrosse, a nonprofit that offers academic mentorship and lacrosse coaching for students.
University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., presented the award to Owens and commended the finalists as examples of hope and commitment.
“There’s a lot of spirit in this room tonight, and great reason for that, because we mark individuals who have given so much to Boston College, to the campus community, and the wider world,” Leahy said.
Angela Ards, an associate professor of English and director of the journalism program, gave the keynote address, reflecting on the importance of remembering the history of the Civil Rights Movement and urging the audience to be conscious of social change.
“One of [King’s] beliefs was that moral laws guide the universe just as physical laws do,” Ards said. “As he famously said after the Selma March, ‘The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’ But we often forget that he qualified that statement by saying that the universe’s moral arc does not mean that progress rolls along the wheels of inevitability, that achieving justice is just a matter of time.”
At the end of her speech, Owens urged the audience to reflect on how they can contribute to building a better world.
“As we leave this space tonight, continue to ask yourself Dr. King’s most persistent and urgent question, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Owens said. “Let that question guide you in your efforts to build a more just and compassionate world, one where future generations can thrive and inherit a society rooted in equity and understanding.”
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