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The 17th annual Archbishop Oscar A. Romero Scholarship Award Ceremony was held in The Murray Room of Yawkey Athletics Center Saturday. The award recognizes a Boston College junior who exemplifies commitment to the values and ideals that Archbishop Romero held. The scholarship recipients must demonstrate an outstanding record of involvement in and service to the Hispanic and Latino community at BC and in the wider community. There were three finalists for this year's award: Stephanie Andujar, A&S '10, Jeans M. Santana, A&S '10, and Gloria Mercedes Villanueva, A&S '10.
Santana was selected as the winner of the Romero Scholarship, which University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., presented.
"Romero stood for commitment to make conditions better," Leahy said. "So many individuals want and desire to make our world better."
Santana was a leader of the BC service immersion trip to the Dominican Republic and feels this experience has reaffirmed his understanding of Romero's message. "The poor are the key to what the world is really like and to what the mission of the Church should be," Santana said.
Santana, who is majoring in sociology and is in the pre-med program, has been able to effectively balance a rigorous and demanding academic course load with his involvement on the BC campus. Santana is an active member of the Organization of Latin American Affairs (OLAA), the AHANA Leadership Council, and the Sexual Chocolate step team. In addition to participating in these campus organizations, Santana has been on service trips to the Turkey Creek Initiative in post-Katrina Mississippi, as well as educational aid trips to the Dominican Republic. His focus on the Latino community can be seen in his research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute CURE program, where he concentrated on a research program project regarding the health care inequality and the mortality rate of Latina breast cancer patients.
"[Romero] sought to invoke social change rooted in prayer and possessed a powerful voice," Santana said. "I have learned we need to look beyond what's physically there and discover that what's out of the norms is actually beauty."
Romero was the Archbishop of El Salvador and was a foundation of strength and hope for the poor and oppressed of his country. He actively took on the oppressed people's struggles as his own and worked to alleviate pain and suffering. He was an adamant advocate of the need for Christians to work for justice and often faced threats and danger from those opposed to his ideas because of his outspokenness.
While celebrating the Eucharist on March 24, 1980, Romero was shot and killed at the altar by a death squad assassin. Romero has been seen as a martyr for impoverished people in El Salvador as well as anyone fighting to conquer poverty and oppression. People today continue to read Romero's sermons in an effort to remind Christians of their duty to work for just societies and the improvement of the lives of the impoverished.
"We are all in this together and are working to help make a better world," Leahy said. "We are a part of the legacy, but I like to think of the future." Through Romero's persistence and dedication to the oppressed, poor, and the community in general, there is motivation to assist students receive training in high school and for collegiate pursuits, he said.
Last year's Romero Scholarship recipient, Jennifer Castillo, A&S '09, spoke before the presentation of the award and encouraged everyone to work as Romero did. "I want to serve as a catalyst for change," Castillo said. "The Romero spirit of change lives within all of us."
Santana said he will continue to carry the spirit of Romero and demonstrate his understanding of the Romero ideals and values through his service and involvement within the BC and greater communities of the world. "I hope to encourage you to find a person that moves you beyond self interest to the betterment of others," Santana said.
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