 Media Credit: Ryan Joyce University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., presented the 26th annual MLK, Jr. Scholarship.
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At 5:35 p.m. on Tuesday evening, a trickle became a deluge as students, faculty, and administrators entered the Rat to find their reserved tables among the many gathered to celebrate the 26th annual awards banquet for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship. This year's three finalists, out of the extensive applicant pool, included Kristi Scriven, A&S '09, Eric Asuo-Mante, A&S '09, and Shadiyah Curry, A&S '09. University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., presented each of the finalists with a $1,000 gift certificate to the Boston College Bookstore. "All three of you are winners," Leahy said. The 2008 MLK, Jr. Scholarship was awarded to Asuo-Mante.
Asuo-Mante spent the first 16 years of his life in Ghana before moving to Manchester, Conn. He is majoring in sociology with a pre-med concentration, and is a member of the executive board of the AHANA Collective Theater, Dance Marathon, and the African Students Organization. Asuo-Mante hopes to pursue a BA/MA five-year program in sociology at BC before continuing on to medical school.
In his acceptance speech, he referenced MLK's legacy by saying, "[MLK] sacrificed his life to ensure the freedom of generations yet unborn."
Asuo-Mante also discussed the great strides made in race relations due to MLK's involvement in the civil rights movement, noting that a black man is now a serious contender for the presidency.
The MLK, Jr. Memorial Committee was founded in 1982 with the intent of sponsoring an annual dinner in honor of the icon, featuring both a noted guest speaker and the presentation of a scholarship to a BC junior of African descent.
Students interested in this award must apply, and the committee judges them based on extracurricular activities focused on social justice, their cumulative GPA, an essay written about MLK's influence in their lives, and an interview, according to Rosanna Demarco, the co-chair of the committee.
The MLK, Jr. Scholarship covers 75 percent of the winner's senior-year tuition.
The banquet itself hosted a wide array of guests and speakers, the first of which was Domenic De Leo, committee co-chair, who said that this annual event allows us to "refresh our perspectives and renew our commitments."
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