Introducing Our 2022 MLK Scholarship Finalists
Read short biographies of our five 2022 MLK Scholarship Finalists: Lubens Benjamin, Tamara Hyppolite, Kudzai Kapurura, Michael Martins, and E’Sachi Smalls. Read finalists' bios
MLK Graduate Student Research & Travel Grant application deadline: February 16, 2022
The Committee supports graduate and professional student research, travel, and/or professional development activities that embody the philosophy of Dr. King and advance non-violent initiatives in civil rights, equal rights, education, and economic and social justice. Two grants of $500 each will be awarded for the academic year, one each in the fall and spring semesters. Apply here.
Aissata Diallo is one of the recipients of the Amanda V. Houston Traveling Fellowship
"With few courses that are directly related to African politics and their social effects, the Amanda V. Houston award has drastically impacted my educational experience. With the knowledge that I had about democracy and elections, I have been able to learn a great deal about widely debated topics in the U.S. such as education, politics, economic opportunity, gender and gender roles, and many more within an African context. Many of these topics benefit men while negatively affecting African women. With this award, I was able to purchase reading materials that were instrumental in my understanding of the interconnectedness of policies, economic opportunities, and education that hinder and/or further the advancement of African girls and women."
Bilguissa Barry interned at Nurturing Minds Inc.
"This summer I was given the wonderful opportunity to intern with Nurturing Minds, a nonprofit educational organization for girls based in Tanzania. Their mission is to support quality education, life skills, and entrepreneurship to help vulnerable girls in Tanzania become leaders in their communities. I learned about Nurturing Minds through volunteering with them in past events they held and connecting to their students in Tanzania. As a young woman that grew up in
very similar circumstances and conditions in my home country in Guinea, it meant a lot to me to have had the opportunity to work directly with them. Thanks to the Martin Luther King grant I was able to do this."
Huel Cox interned as an undergraduate research fellow at the Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
"As we are all incredibly aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has torn through the world and has, unfortunately, left those who are most at risk and underserved by the medical field the most vulnerable. Still, tragically little is known about the virus, SARS-CoV-2, and its variants, and most notable is the mechanism by which the virus initiates the most pathogenic, deadly symptom that has been dubbed the "cytokine storm" that is most responsible for the acute respiratory distress syndrome characteristic of severe infection (2). Over the summer, my group sought to elucidate this mechanism based on recent research involving the human transcription factor, NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T-cell), due to the suspected role of activated T-helper-1 cells (2,3) in the "cytokine storm."
Isaiah Freeman interned as an undergraduate research fellow at the Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
"This summer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute I worked with the Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene (KRAS), a protein involved in many different types of cancer. By the end of June, I had produced enough of the KRAS protein for us to hand it to another lab group for further testing, which allowed me to focus on another project. Another project I am excited about involves the SARS-COV-2 disease, as there are multiple drug targets in the spike protein we are exploring for potential treatment. The KRAS project allowed me to gain independence over the course of a project and familiarize myself with scientific processes, which aided in the COVID project when newer methods were introduced to me."
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship preliminary deadline: October 12, 2021
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship recognizes a Boston College junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the African American community and African American issues both on and off campus. The finalists will each be honored with a $1,000 gift certificate to the Boston College Bookstore. The winner will receive a scholarship of up to $19,000 toward senior year tuition, and the other finalists will each receive a $3,000 tuition scholarship. Access preliminary application here.
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Asian Solidarity Statement
"The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee at Boston College is saddened by the recent events where six members of the Asian American community and two other innocent victims were murdered in Atlanta, GA. For almost forty years our committee has promoted the principles that Dr. King envisioned and for which he gave his life: an end to oppression and injustice wherever they exist, non-violence, and solidarity between all peoples in the pursuit of justice. As a diverse community representing BC faculty, staff, administrators, and students, we raise our voices together and join them to other voices on this campus and around this nation in categorically rejecting anti-Asian racism." Read entire letter