“I proved to my community back home, specifically the Pico-Union neighborhood, that someone like 'us,' who is systematically disadvantaged, can thrive in a predominately white institution like BC. I will continue to give back to my community and to prevent my peers from dropping out of college. Lastly, too many people worldwide feel forgotten, lonely, and in pain, and I will continue to bring awareness to these global issues.” - Kevin Lopez '24, one of the two Romero Scholarship winners | READ MORE: http://on.bc.edu/Romero2023

“To recognize my hard work to serve the Latino community is to acknowledge the countless sacrifices my parents made to nurture my sisters and me. I memorize the sacrifices my parents made for me, and cherish them every day because they believed that I could create generational change. I listened to their requests to do better in my academic life, because I was always reminded that many members of my community do not have the same access and opportunities to thrive in school as I did. My mother would say ‘Tota, por favor, haz tu tarea (Tota, please do your homework),’ while my dad would say ‘Echale ganas (Give it your all).’ “I am on track to become the second person in my family to receive a college degree. Continuing my educational journey in law school is essential to receive the credentials I need to advocate for the Latino community, especially for undocumented immigrants during the naturalization process. As someone who has the privilege of being a United States citizen, I want to utilize my skills to uplift immigrants who want a better future for themselves and their families.” - Jonathan Mora '24, one of the two Romero Scholarship winners | READ MORE: http://on.bc.edu/Romero2023

"I feel incredibly blessed to have had my career experiences. I grew up in a small town in Maine and the education I received at Boston College gave me a wonderful foundation for where I am today. As a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, I’m regularly given the opportunity to mentor up-and-coming filmmakers. I was fortunate enough to work with several women in leadership positions at Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic despite the industry being traditionally male dominated. I try my best now to be a mentor to women in the film and tech industries, as well as others who might not have an easy way in. I’m also always looking for opportunities to grow my teams at Amazon Web Services with people from varied backgrounds. I truly believe the more perspectives we hear, the better we can serve all kinds of customers." - Gretchen Libby '90, Director at AWS who spent much of her career in the film industry | READ MORE in Boston College Magazine: https://on.bc.edu/GretchenLibby

“The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation raises money to help treat and find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. The organization is close to my heart because I was diagnosed with Type 1 during my freshman year at Boston College, and have since met many people living with the disease. In addition to promoting awareness and providing support for those whose lives have been touched by the disease, the ground-breaking research JDRF has done is bringing us closer to a world without Type 1. “I will use the love of my family and friends, and the gratitude I have to be healthy enough to run this race as a type 1 diabetic.” - Emily McConnell ‘20, MBA’23, one of more than 30 Eagles running the Boston Marathon for charity | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/BostonMarathon2023

“My husband David was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer at age 49. He is currently receiving palliative chemotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute every other week for the rest of his life. While there is no cure for him, we hope that the money raised by the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge will provide the necessary funds for research to help others. "My race-day motivation is those who are not as fortunate as I am and those who face a cancer diagnosis and all the uncertainly that surrounds it.” - Karen Scott ‘93, one of more than 30 Eagles running the Boston Marathon for charity

"Running for Lazarus House Ministries is about using my blessings to give back to the community where I grew up. It is about supporting an organization connected to my faith and to my home. It is also about connecting to my family, who have volunteered at Lazarus House since I was a child. My mom would take me to volunteer on Sundays after church and my dad represented their team in the Boston Marathon in 2008 and 2009. "I am dedicating my run to my late Papa, who was the first marathoner in my family. He was a surgeon, Bronze Star veteran, businessman, family man, and Boston Marathon qualifier." - John Kooken '23, one of more than 30 Eagles running the Boston Marathon for charity | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/BostonMarathon2023

“I am running in memory of my cousin Quinn Amsler, who passed away in July of 2016 at the age of nine after bravely battling a rare form of cancer for 15 months. Quinn was the youngest cousin in my large, Irish Catholic family and, despite his age, he was the most spirited and determined of us all. Quinn loved his family, his friends, and - famously - basketball. In the last months of his life, Quinn was ‘drafted’ by the Boston College Athletics men's basketball team through Team Impact, where he was mentored by the Eagles until his passing. "I am grateful to God, my family, my friends, and my Boston College colleagues for all the support. I am dedicating my run to my cousin Quinn and everyone who has been affected by cancer. It is an awful disease, and I pray that I live to see the day we find a cure. I am also dedicating my run to the victims, survivors, and first responders of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings." - Eileen Corkery ‘17 & The Church in the 21st Century Center (C21 Center) Assistant Director, one of more than 30 Eagles running the Boston Marathon for charity | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/BostonMarathon2023

“The Martin Richard Foundation is family. I have known the Richards since high school and I have the utmost respect for their emphasis on kindness. Every time you see the Richards they greet you with a warm smile. You feel as if you are a Richard yourself...I am dedicating my run to the Richard family. Thank you so much for always being there for me. I will never forget the laughs we had backstage at the Thayer Academy theatre productions. Your perseverance, kindness, and character do not go unnoticed. Thank you for taking a chance on me!” - Jefferson Driscoll '25, who is one of more than 30 Eagles running the Boston Marathon for charity | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/BostonMarathon2023

“The past two years have been, for me, a workplace story of challenges and successes. The unique benefit of working at Boston College is not the same as working at any other company or organization. We have a different culture that can't be found at most companies and in the corporate world. We offer mission-driven employee buy-in, commitment, employee pride, and most of all, University support. Working at BC, I have always felt that I have been able to become the best person that I can be, and as a human resources manager, to offer my guidance and mentorship to the most diverse workforce on campus." - Beth Burns, Human Resources Manager | READ MORE about BC's "Hidden Heroes" on campus: https://on.bc.edu/HiddenHeroes

“Winning this award has meant absolutely everything to me and my family. I do not take this award as my own; it's for all my family that is back in Haiti and it serves as a reminder to the incredible responsibility I have to them and to my community to become the change. “Similarly, MLK's legacy reminds me that the fight against injustice is mine and that taking it up is a necessity for ensuring that Black people, specifically Black mothers, are provided with the justice and resources that they deserve." - Maria "Christie" Louis ’24, the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship winner | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/ChristieLouis

“One of the amazing things about Inside-Out is the way in which a lot of the barriers dissolve as the class goes on—it really does become a group that is learning side-by-side as peers. As the instructor, I try to be attentive to whatever comes up. I hold office hours at the House of Correction, just like I do at Boston College, making sure that I'm attentive to students in the same way, whatever their needs are. Once they become a student of the course, it doesn't matter if they’re incarcerated or have never set foot in a prison before, my mission is to help them succeed.” - Matt DelSesto ’12, who coordinates and teaches the BC Inside-Out Program, run in collaboration with the Suffolk County House of Correction | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/MattDelSesto

“Our mission is to power conversation. When thinking about charcuterie, it's a centerpiece product that brings people around a table, and when you think about artists, their work speaks as well—there’s a lot of synergies between the two. When we opened our Beacon Hill store, we not only wanted to provide a product, we also wanted to be a place where artists could speak and showcase their work and be recognized and compensated properly for doing so. We give them wall space but also product space where they can help design a charcuterie box seasonally and receive royalties for each box that's sold in their name. It’s an important part of who we are.” - Gilli Rozynek ’20 (right) and Morgan Biles ’21, the founders of Kured, which now has locations in Boston and New York City | READ MORE: https://on.bc.edu/Kured