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.

People bowed their heads and fell silent as Julie Canuto-Depina, this year’s recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarship, asked attendees at the scholarship ceremony to join her in prayer.

Christie Louis, this year’s recipient of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarship, said she first encountered King’s work in her fifth-grade history class, but she did not begin to understand the meaning of his words until later in life.

Kudzai Kapurura—this year’s recipient of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship—said she began to recognize the importance of the scholarship after being invited to be a student keynote speaker at its ceremony her freshman year.

Latifat Odetunde—this year’s recipient of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship—said that she was inspired by the excellence of her Black peers when she attended the scholarship ceremony during her freshman year.