Mikayla Sanchez Wins Scholarship
Boston College
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey resident Mikayla Sanchez–a Boston College Class of 2023 Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences student who hopes to foster her commitment to social justice through a career in the field of law—recently was awarded the University’s 2022 Boston College’s Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship.
After the presentation of her award by BC President William P. Leahy, S.J., Sanchez said to the audience, which included her parents, at the 30th annual award ceremony: “As a second-generation American, I feel the need to persevere and utilize the opportunity so selflessly provided and presented to me by my parents.”
The scholarship, which covers a significant portion of senior-year tuition, is given annually to a BC junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the Hispanic/Latinx community and issues both on and off campus.
Sanchez grew up aware of the poverty and discrimination faced by her mother Rosemary and father Kenny—who emigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic and Colombia, respectively—and other Latinx immigrants. And she had a powerful experience as an intern in the Boston U.S. Attorney’s Office. She gained a wider understanding of racism in the justice system endured by Black and Latino families, which inspired her goal to pursue a career in immigration or defense law.
“Saint Oscar Romero’s legacy serves as inspiration for me to be a person for others and support my fellow Latinos as we overcome barriers,” she said. “His commitment to justice and empathy particularly resonate with me, and continue to inspire me to enter the legal profession and further the life that my family sacrificed so much for me to live.”
At BC, she is a double major in history and sociology, with a minor in Managing for Social Impact and the Public Good. Her undergraduate activities include involvement in the Jenks Leadership Program, Student Admission Program, and Organization of Latin American Affairs. She is in the top four to five percent of her class and a member of the Pi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Sanchez is living in Madrid, Spain this semester, studying at Carlos III University.
Courtesy photo
