Originally published in Carroll Capital, the print publication of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. .听
On his 21st birthday, Brian Davids 鈥�27 found out he received the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. He would have loved to take the stage in the Heights Room and celebrate the accomplishment, but instead he was watching the March awards reception over Zoom from his Barcelona dorm room, where he was studying abroad. Still, as his father Conrad Davids accepted the scholarship on his behalf, Davids felt 鈥渘othing but gratitude,鈥� he says.
鈥淢y family came to the USA in the pursuit of a better life and have all sacrificed immensely to give me the opportunities that allowed me to be in a position to receive the scholarship in the first place,鈥� said Davids, whose parents emigrated from Jamaica before he was born.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship is awarded each year in the spring semester to a Boston College junior demonstrating excellent academics and leadership as well as deep involvement with the African American community on and off campus. Of the scholarship鈥檚 five 2026 finalists, four study in the Carroll School. Mohamed Dirar 鈥�27 is a finance minor, Gabrielle Keeley 鈥�27 and Kaitlyn Gyamfi 鈥�27 both have finance concentrations, and Davids studies finance and business analytics.听
Davids is a cofounder of Black in Business 情色空间, a Carroll School club that supports Black students interested in a future in business but is open to any student looking for a diverse environment to explore professional development and make meaningful industry connections. 鈥淪paces where no one looks like you can be daunting. Black in Business plays an instrumental role in solving that problem,鈥� he says.
Esosa Owens 鈥�26, the previous recipient of the scholarship, points to Davids鈥檚 leadership of the club and the heavy emphasis on alumni networking. He has a strong commitment to听鈥渦plifting others and creating spaces where people can access opportunities that align with their values, beliefs, and character,鈥� she says.
In his prepared reception speech delivered by his dad, Davids quoted King鈥檚 鈥淟etter from Birmingham Jail鈥�: 鈥淲e know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.鈥� Davids added in his remarks that those assembled should internalize the words and live by them. 鈥淐ontinue to knock on doors you are not meant to be at.鈥� Continue to prioritize justice and dignity over peace and the status quo.鈥�
To Davids, the award is a 鈥渟ignal to people about the way I鈥檝e tried to live my life,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he onus is still on me to execute on my vision for myself.鈥澨�
