Boston Public Schools’ 38 valedictorians are heading into a dazzling future, their dreams as bright as their gifts.
“Our tremendous valedictorians truly enrich all of our communities and are role models for other young people in what they can accomplish,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “No matter what obstacles these students faced, they thrived. Congratulations to all valedictorians, and I look forward to seeing where your dreams take you.”
Most of the valedictorians —61 percent — will be the first in their families to attend college, and almost half were born outside the United States, hailing from 11 countries. Fifteen have been BPS students since kindergarten.
The students plan to attend MIT, Wellesley College, Northeastern University, Williams College, Tufts, Brandeis and a slew of other colleges and universities. Representing hopes as diverse as the city they hail from, they will work to become doctors, teachers, writers, dancers and more.
•?James Nguyen of Another Course to College belongs to the Running Club, Community Service Club, the BUILD entrepreneurship program — where he manages his own business — and the robotics program, where he builds, wires and programs robots for competitions. He’ll attend UMass Dartmouth.
•?Taija Reverdes of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School has excelled in the health assisting/certified nursing assistant vocation program at Madison Park, working with patients in nursing homes and at a local community health center. She will study biology at UMass Dartmouth.
• Natan Santos of New Mission High School learned leadership at the Harvard Crimson Summer Academy, and took part in the High School to Teacher Program, the Mayor’s Youth Council, and the Student Success Jobs Program. He also started his own clothing line, Son of King, to inspire young people to realize their own potential and to be kings and queens in their own right.
•? Jesuina Lopes Fernandes of Boston International High School, since arriving from her native Cape Verde, is now a shining star at BI, active in student government, the girls’ soccer team, and the model U.N. She’ll attend UMass Boston.
•? Zoraya Scott of Jeremiah E. Burke High School participates in cheerleading and softball, is student council vice president, and completed a summer internship at State Street Bank. She has a full scholarship to Boston College in pre-med.
•? Thomas Thermidor of the Community Academy of Science and Health is a native of Haiti. He entered BPS as a ninth-grader at CASH. He took five Advanced Placement courses, as well as a computer science course through a dual enrollment program at Wentworth Institute of Technology. He also served as captain of the soccer team. He’ll attend Union College as a part of the prestigious Posse Scholars Program.
•? Alaina Villanueva of Mary Lyon Pilot High School was diagnosed with dyslexia in elementary school, but earned the Mayor Thomas M. Menino School Spirit award in 2013 and is a member of the National Honor Society. She will attend Emmanuel College and hopes to be a therapist.
•? Manuel Martinez of Fenway High School, a first generation American, wants to create access and opportunity for others as an immigration lawyer. He is a Crimson Summer Academy Scholar and presented a business proposal at the National Council of La Raza in Orlando. He will attend Northeastern University.
•? Rosaisela Melendez of McKinley Preparatory High School loves music and the arts. She will begin her college career at Bunker Hill Community College and hopes to transfer to Berklee College of Music to study violin.
•? Tuyet Pham of Boston Latin Academy will be the first in her family to attend college when she goes to MIT to study her passion — computer science.
•? DaRaymond Anderson of McKinley South End Academy is in a job-training program sponsored by Jewish Vocational Services, and will be employed at an assisted living program in Dedham. He plans to work full time after graduation.
•? Chanda Carvalho of the Henderson K-12 Inclusion School serves as president of the school’s Best Buddies chapter and will be the first person in her family to go to college. She will attend the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and wants to be a pediatrician.
•? Ivy Chow of the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has been the captain of the girls basketball team. She will attend Gallaudet University as recipient of a Gallaudet University Academic Recognition Scholarship Award.
• Nathan Han of Boston Latin School, described as an “intellectual powerhouse” by his teachers, took nine Advanced Placement classes and has participated in science fairs at the school, city, state, national and international level. Using statistics, computer science and biology, he is working to identify potentially cancer-causing mutations and assess genetic predisposition. His goal is to speed up cancer diagnoses in a less costly and more efficient way. He is headed to MIT.
•? Masiah Jones of Boston Day and Evening Academy has been working as a teaching assistant at BDEA since her graduation last December, while attending Quincy College. This fall, she will transfer to UMass Boston to study biology.
•? Kevin Duong of Excel High School took part in JROTC, Recycling Club, Math Club, Debate Team and Boston CARES. He will attend Northeastern University and plans to pursue a medical career.
•? Paul Davis of Community Academy worked exceptionally hard academically to become valedictorian. He is still weighing his options for after graduation.
•? Carmelissa Norbrun of Boston Green Academy came to Boston in 2012 after surviving the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Deeply involved with Boston University’s Upward Bound and Summer Search, she plans to become a doctor. She’ll be the first college student in her family when she attends Gettysburg College.
•? Lantharra Langlois of Urban Science Academy took five AP courses, served an internship with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, joined USA’s student leadership council and the National Honor Society. She will be the first in her family to attend college when she goes to Brandeis to study neurobiology.
•? Jhovana Correa Marin of Boston Adult Technical Academy arrived in Boston four years ago from Colombia. She will attend Pine Manor College and study engineering.
•? Ronald McCluskey of Dorchester Academy enjoys writing music, reading and computer programming. He plans to become a computer programmer.
•? Woodlyne Neptune of Boston Adult Technical Academy arrived from Haiti just two years ago. She hopes to someday attend medical school and return to serve Haiti. She will attend Bunker Hill Community College.
•? Kaila Gibson-Okunieff of Boston Arts Academy has focused on modern dance and ballet techniques with Boston Conservatory. She will attend the Alvin Ailey BFA dance program at Fordham University.
•? Lizbeth Palermo of Greater Egleston Community High School will attend Massasoit Community College, where she plans to major in film and media. She hopes to become a film director.
•? Vy Pan of Boston Community Leadership Academy, a native of South Korea, took part in the Boston Debate League, belongs to the National Honor Society and earned second place at the Boston City Calculus Competition. She plans to study biomedical engineering at Tufts University.
•? Daliyah Middleton of TechBoston Academy was in the Noonan Scholars program at Wheelock College, and was in the Student to Teacher Program. She was captain of the volleyball team and will attend Northeastern University.
•??Cristian Rodriguez Salas of English High School came from the Dominican Republic four years ago. He is in the Robotics Club and STEAM Pathfinders, enjoys graphic design, and has taught middle school students how to build robots. He will be the first in his family to attend college when he attends Suffolk University.
• Jiacheng “Tony” Zou of Charlestown High School, a native of China, is in the National Honor Society, took three AP courses and scored 800 on the math SAT. He earned a full scholarship to Williams College.
• Rayceiry Sanz of Muriel S. Snowden International School struggled in elementary and middle school but managed to work her way to valedictorian at Snowden. She will be the first in her family to attend college when she goes to Northeastern University.
• Juliana Pereira of Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers studied math at Wentworth Institute of Technology, attended the Crimson Summer Academy and won first place at the Citywide Science Fair. She’ll study pharmaceutical sciences at Northeastern University.
• Brenda Hernandez of Margarita Muniz Academy moved here from Mexico at age 9 and credits SquashBusters for helping her succeed. She will attend the College of the Holy Cross.
• Silvia Yu of John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, a K-12 BPS student, was on the tennis and swim teams, and is a junior counselor at the Chinatown Afterschool Program. She will attend Wellesley College.
• Maybelline Perez Villatoro of East Boston High School, a native of El Salvador, is in the National Honor Society and is a Student Immigrant Movement leader. She will study political science and international affairs at Northeastern University.
• Dara Sostek of Josiah Quincy Upper School has a passion for creative writing. She will study English and communications at Northeastern University.
• Melisa Depina of Dearborn STEM Academy arrived from Cape Verde five years ago, and has already completed four college courses and belongs to the National Honor Society and is a POSSE Scholar. She traveled to New Orleans’ Ninth Ward for a weeklong service project and completed a summer internship at State Street Bank. She will attend Union College.
• Sacdio Ali of Brighton High School arrived from Kenya three years ago and has maintained a 5.2 grade point average and serves on the Student Leadership Team. The first in her family to attend college, she will study child development at Tufts University.
• Daniela Brea Baez of the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers served in Project Teach at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; was a Massachusetts General Hospital Youth Scholar and worked with Tufts Medical School to study the effects of gentrification on the Dominican community of Boston. She will study animal science at UMass Amherst’s Commonwealth Honors College.
• Jakelin Yasmin Bonilla of West Roxbury Academy immigrated from El Salvador in elementary school and earned the Mayor’s Award for Academic excellence in middle school. She will study psychology at Suffolk University.