An advocate at heart
Romero Scholarship winner
Ashley Delgado, a Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences junior who is passionate about housing advocacy and legal empowerment within the Latino community, is the 2025 Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship winner. The Queens, NY, native was presented with the honor by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., at the 33rd annual Romero Scholarship banquet on March 22 in the Yawkey Athletic Center Murray Room.
In recognition of her superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the Hispanic/Latino community and issues both on and off campus, Delgado will receive up to $40,000 toward senior-year tuition, and a $1,000 BC Bookstore gift certificate.
Delgado’s academic pursuits combine a business foundation with a deep interest in public policy and urban development. A double major in political science and communication with a minor in general business, she also completed the Carroll School of Management’s Catalyst Program, a summer initiative for non-management students which provides a broad foundation in the functional areas of management.
“The work that we do is not about [the] spotlight. It is not about self. It’s about something far greater—it’s about restoring what’s been broken, healing what’s been ignored, and uplifting the dignity of those in the world who are often overlooked,” she said in her acceptance speech.
Delgado, who is inspired by Saint Romero’s call for justice and action, went on to discuss the importance of housing justice, a cause about which she is deeply passionate and a driving force in her advocacy pursuits.
Personal experience with housing instability shaped her commitment to seek community-driven solutions, through involvement in efforts to support and empower Latino families. She offered homeownership and financial literacy education as an intern at a real estate group in her home state, and at a Boston firm, utilized her training to provide financial modeling and market research for investment analyses on mixed-use development.
“Housing justice is not just about units. It’s about people, about families that deserve permanence, not precarity,” said Delgado, who hopes to launch a Latino housing justice initiative focused on helping families find stable housing amid ongoing cycles of housing insecurity.
Delgado also distinguished herself through outreach initiatives to the Latino community on campus. As co-vice president of the AHANA Pre-Law Society, she provides students with resources and mentors them on careers in law. She also co-founded Soy Latina y Qué?, which cultivates sisterhood, resilience, and empowerment among Latina students.
This summer, Delgado looks forward to expanding her advocacy by collaborating on a project in Chile supporting elderly individuals facing mental health challenges. Her goal is to apply her expertise to develop sustainable, community-driven solutions before ultimately pursuing law school.
Delgado’s family attended the banquet and joined in a standing ovation when she received the award.
Also recognized were scholarship finalists Emily Moreno, a first-generation student in the Connell School of Nursing, and Kevin Uriarte, a Morrissey College biology major on a pre-med track; the pair won awards of up to $3,000 and $1,000 BC Bookstore gift certificates.
Moreno, an Undergraduate Research Fellow who has conducted and assisted in research projects related to public health and health disparities, also is pursuing a degree in Global Public Health and the Common Good. She has a passion for improving health outcomes and access for marginalized and underserved populations.
Uriarte aspires to be a physician and address health disparities in the Latino community—goals inspired as an interpreter for his mother’s medical diagnosis, which highlighted systemic barriers faced by Latino families. He founded the Mentoring & Academic Achievement for Pre-med Students (MAAPS) program to support first-generation AHANA students pursuing medical careers; MAAPS has expanded to support high school students in the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success’s Academy.
leana Jimenez Garcia (Tim Correira)
Ileana Jiménez García ’87 was honored with the Rev. John A. Dinneen, S.J., Alumni Award, which recognizes a BC alumnus whose work and community service reflects both Saint Romero’s ideals and the late Fr. Dinneen’s commitment, leadership, and service to the Latino community.
A health care and non-profit management professional, she is a leader in promoting health equity, reducing language and literacy barriers in patient care, and building a diverse workforce. Her health care leadership roles include serving as administrative director of the Office for Multicultural Faculty Careers and director of Interpreter Services at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; she has received multiple hospital awards. A supporter of career development and advancement of women, underrepresented populations, and young professionals, she serves on numerous boards including Tomorrow’s Women Today, which promotes mentoring and leadership development.
BC, where Jiménez García earned a bachelor’s degree before going on to receive an M.B.A. from Northeastern University, is also a focus of her outreach. She served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors with two terms as vice president and championed the development of mentoring programming and the implementation and launch of Eagle Exchange. Now a board associate and a member of the Council for Women of Boston College, she has served on her class Reunion Committees, and as a Romero Scholarship advisor.