Photos by Peter Julian
Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences junior Jorge Mej铆a, who has bridged academia and advocacy to serve the needs of the Hispanic/Latino community on campus and in his native Bronx, has been named winner of the University鈥檚 2018 Archbishop Oscar A. Romero Scholarship.
The scholarship, which covers 75 percent of senior-year tuition, is given annually to a 51茶馆 junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the Hispanic/Latino community and Hispanic/Latino issues both on and off campus.
鈥淥scar Romero was, is, and always will be part of my life journey,鈥� said Mej铆a in his acceptance speech at last month鈥檚 Archbishop Oscar A. Romero Scholarship Award Ceremony. 鈥淭o be awarded a scholarship in his name is the biggest honor I could ever receive. I am not usually one to seek the spotlight, but the Romero Scholarship to me is not a spotlight. It鈥檚 a reminder of my/our duty as humans 鈥� to realize we are agents of history and hold the tools to rectify structures of injustice.鈥�
Mej铆a鈥檚 parents, Patricia Guerrero and Jorge E. Mej铆a, were in attendance at the ceremony to see their son, a first-generation college student, win the scholarship. Also recognized at the March 24 event were fellow finalists Kimberly Lozano and Roberto Garcia, as well as Juan Arteaga 鈥�99, who was honored with the Rev. John A. Dinneen, SJ, Hispanic Alumni Community Service Award.
A political science major with minors in Latin American Studies and history, Mej铆a cites several international experiences that have broadened his horizons and his skill set: a summer studying in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland for The Politics of Self-Rule course; another summer studying abroad in Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates; Sociology Associate Professor Eve Spangler鈥檚 Social Justice in Israel/Palestine course that concluded with an immersion trip to that region.
As director of Social and Political Action within the Organization of Latin American Affairs (OLAA), Mej铆a has been committed to expanding the perception of OLAA as only a culture club by emphasizing its advocacy potential. Through his outreach, Mej铆a has been able to connect OLAA with sponsorships and partnerships with organizations such as the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy and the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics.
Last fall, Mej铆a organized a panel discussion on 鈥淰enezuela: The Origins, Development and Future of the Crisis鈥� that brought together prominent economists, a 51茶馆 international student from Venezuela and a 51茶馆 student born in Venezuela and raised in the US, to examine the political and economic issues facing the South American country.
As an undergraduate research fellow at the Global Leadership Institute, he organized an intercultural luncheon between 51茶馆 student leaders and members of the Mexican Police delegation who were participating in GLI鈥檚 professional development and leadership training program.
By connecting OLAA in innovative ways with the resources available on campus, Mej铆a said, 鈥淚 feel like I was able to link academe with activism in ways OLAA hadn鈥檛 seen before.鈥�
Mej铆a credits Undergraduate Admission Associate Director Howard Singer as one of the primary reasons he chose to attend Boston College. He met Singer at a student reception in Manhattan and when Mej铆a attended Admitted Eagle Day, Singer went out of his way to connect with him and give him a personalized campus tour.
Singer has stayed in touch with Mej铆a throughout his time at 51茶馆, hosting lunches for him and other students. 聽
鈥淚 see a man who lives up to the Jesuit ideology,鈥� Mej铆a said of Singer. 鈥淗e embodies 51茶馆鈥檚 mission. He has accompanied me since I was a name on a page to being named a scholar.鈥�
Freshman year, Mej铆a admits, he questioned whether he belonged at 51茶馆. In class discussions, it was evident that he didn鈥檛 have the same educational foundation as other students.
鈥淚 felt so subpar,鈥� said Mej铆a. 鈥淔or inner-city students, it is such a part of our experience, wondering, 鈥楢m I smart enough? Do I belong here?鈥欌��
But through his courses and his international experiences, his work with OLAA and offices on campus, the tables have turned. 鈥淚 can talk in class about my experiences and involvement, and after class kids will approach me saying 鈥楬ow did you do that?鈥�
鈥淚 think to myself, 鈥楻eally? You鈥檙e asking a kid from the Bronx how I did this?鈥� It confirmed that I belong here and I can be my authentic self.鈥�
Last summer, he worked at the West Bronx Housing and Neighborhood Resource Center, helping low-income residents navigate housing and immigration issues. He also was an intern in the East Elmhurst office of NY State Senator Jos茅 Peralta handling constituent outreach.
聽鈥淔or me, that was a capstone experience to all the academic formation I have had here. I was able to work at a community-based level with people who were like me and my parents. They didn鈥檛 have PhDs or LinkedIn accounts. They weren鈥檛 parliamentarians. They were low-income and received public assistance.鈥�
His formative summer experiences helped him realize 鈥渢here is a visceral de facto comfort that people feel when they talk with someone who looks like them and sounds like them and is willing to help them.鈥�
Mej铆a would like to serve as Bronx borough president or a New York State senator someday.
鈥淲hat do my accomplishments mean if I don鈥檛 use it to uplift underserved populations? It means nothing,鈥� he added.
鈥淓very time I go from Chestnut Hill back to the Bronx, it is jarring. All inner-city students have a guiding mantra: 鈥楪et out the hood.鈥� Many do and it鈥檚 very tempting. That, for me, wasn鈥檛 the option. I couldn鈥檛 leave the Bronx behind."
鈥擪athleen Sullivan | University Communications | April 2018