Ashley Delgado’s voice shook with emotion as she stood at the podium to accept the 2025 Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship. The audience rose to their feet, erupting in applause, while her family beamed with pride.
“If the one thing that I can do in this life is to love, then I will love, and I will love over and over again,” said Delgado, MCAS ’26. “The work that we do is not about spotlight. It is not about self. It’s about something far greater–it’s about restoring what’s been broken, healing what’s been ignored, and uplifting the dignity of those in the world who are often overlooked.”
The 33rd annual Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship award ceremony took place on Saturday night in the Yawkey Athletics Center, two days before the anniversary of Romero’s assassination and feast day.
Named after the Salvadoran archbishop and martyr, the scholarship recognizes a Boston College junior who has demonstrated commitment to service and leadership within the Hispanic and Latino communities.
In her speech, Delgado reflected on the importance of housing justice, a cause she is deeply passionate about and a driving force behind her advocacy.
“When I say I care about housing justice, I mean I care about who gets to stay, who gets to belong, who gets to breathe deeply in a space and call it home—not just today, but tomorrow,” she said. “Housing justice is not just about units. It’s about people, about families that deserve permanence, not precarity.”
Delgado co-founded Soy Latina y Que?, a community for Latina students to form sisterhood, resilience, and empowerment. She is also co-vice president of the AHANA Pre-Law Society.
Outside of BC, Delgado has helped the Latino community in securing housing through her work with ABCD Housing and Homelessness Prevention and Connie Francisco Real Estate Group. She also assists with financial modeling and market research at AEW Boston.
According to Resident Director Phionna-Cayola Claude, Delgado hopes to launch a Latino housing justice Initiative focused on helping families find stable housing amid ongoing cycles of housing insecurity.
“For Ashley, housing justice is more than securing a home,” Claude said. “It is about ensuring families have stability, dignity, and agency to thrive for generations.”
As the winner, Delgado will receive up to $40,000 toward her senior year tuition, while the other two finalists—Emily Moreno, CSON ’26, and Kevin Uriarte, MCAS ’26—will receive awards of up to $3,000. Additionally, all three finalists received a $1,000 gift card to the BC bookstore.
University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., who presented the award to Delgado, highlighted how the finalists have carried on Romero’s legacy and how they will continue to do so.
“I especially want to offer words of gratitude for the example, the time, the energy that you have devoted to the Boston College community and ways in which you will share with future communities,” Leahy said.
Melanie Paredes, MCAS ’25 and the 2024 recipient of the Oscar A. Romero Scholarship, said that while challenges lie ahead for the finalists, the causes they have dedicated themselves to will continue to be rewarding.
“You guys still have so much, so much more to go, and there’s still so much work that our community needs ahead of us,” Paredes said. “Even though it’s not easy, it’s always going to be worth it.”
Ana Martinez-Aleman, a professor and associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, delivered the keynote address. She challenged students to view education as a tool for social change, highlighting Romero’s belief that service transcends the individual.
“Your Boston College Education offers you tremendous privilege and opportunity,” she said. “But with that privilege comes responsibility, a call to use your education not simply for personal advancement, but for the advancement of justice and human dignity.”
Ileana Jimenez Garcia, BC ’87, received the Rev. John A. Dinneen, S.J., Hispanic Alumni Community Service Award, which honors an alumnus who embodies the spirit of Saint Romero’s ideals and has a record of service to the Latino community. .
Delgado concluded her acceptance speech with a call to action for those in attendance, urging them to continue striving for love and justice within their communities.
“Saint Oscar Romero once said, ‘Aspire not to have more, but to be more,’ and I’ve made peace with that,” Delgado said. “I don’t need more. I just need to be what God has called me to be. May we all continue to be more for each other—one home, one family, and one act of love at a time.”
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