Roosevelt School

Photo caption: From left, Elizabeth Abeka-Bannerman and Danielle Oppong of North High School hold their Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction certificate and medal following Worcester Public Schools’ annual Seal of Biliteracy Ceremony on Monday, May 18, 2026 at Doherty Memorial High School.

WORCESTER – Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – Worcester Public Schools (WPS) honored over 300 multilingual and biliterate high school seniors at its annual Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy ceremony, held Monday, May 18, at Doherty Memorial High School.

This year’s event celebrated a district-record 232 Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy awards, including 40 awards with distinction. The district also recognized 100 additional students with the Pathway award. This year’s cohort represented 24 different languages, celebrating the cultural diversity within WPS.

The Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy program has seen steady growth in WPS over the years. In 2022-23, 122 students achieved the Seal of Biliteracy, with another 210 and 216 in 2023-24 and 2024-25 respectively. The 232 students recognized with the Massachusetts State Seal in 2025-26 is a new high in the program’s eight year history in WPS.

“Seeing the Seal of Biliteracy program grow to a record-breaking 232 students this year is a significant milestone for our district,” said Superintendent Brian E. Allen. “This growth represents our ongoing investment in multilingual education and the tireless commitment of our staff. It also reflects the drive of our students to pursue academic challenges that provide a distinct advantage upon their graduation. We are proud to celebrate these scholars and the diversity that strengthens our city.”

The Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to high school seniors who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English and at least one other world language. The Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction recognizes graduating seniors who demonstrate advanced levels of proficiency and fluency in both English and at least one other world language.

The Seal of Biliteracy takes the form of a seal placed on the transcript or diploma of the graduating senior and is a statement of accomplishment for future employers and for college admissions.

The Pathway Award is a WPS-specific award celebrating high school seniors who have received an intermediate-to-mid level proficiency in a language other than English.

The ceremony included a speech from Burncoat High School senior Gloria Akosua Agyapong-Adumatta, who earned the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction in Twi. Gloria reflected on her journey through various languages, noting that multilingualism is a vital tool for building community and bridging cultural divides.

“Receiving this award represents not only my growth, but also the journey of learning languages and how they help us connect not just with ourselves, but with others as well,” Agyapong-Adumatta said in their speech.

Find a list of students and language recognized by school below.

Please note if a parent or guardian has opted out of media consent for their child, their child's name will not be included in the online list.

Burncoat High School

Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction Recipients

• Adwoa Boakye-Agyemang, Twi

• Gloria Adumatta, Twi

• Isabella Souza Scheidegger, Portuguese

• Osiris Del Cid Amezquita, Spanish

• Thien Tam Phan, Vietnamese

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:

• Adrian Cruz Borjas, Spanish

• Alberto Bonilla, Spanish

• Austyn Polanco, Spanish

• Edwin Vizcarrondo, Spanish

• Fiker Gebere, Amharic

• Isabella Ortiz, Spanish

• Jandiel Quintero, Spanish

• Kamila Merino, Spanish

• Katye Cardoso, Portuguese

• Kayleigh Arbuckle, Spanish

• Kiara Adorno, Spanish

• Phu Dang, Vietnamese

• Sara Pinzon, Spanish

• Tam Nguyen, Vietnamese

• Yabsera Gebere, Amharic

• Jesten Morales, Spanish

• Nathan Dias, Portuguese

Pathway Recipients:

• Emersynne Jones, French

• Gabrielle Rivera, Spanish

• Geyli Coc Ax, Spanish

• Lindie Dorvil, Haitian Creole & French

Claremont Academy

Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction Recipients

• Carol Angeline Somersall Feliz, Spanish

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:

• Janiel Alicea, Spanish & American Sign Language

• Cathy Alvarado Abrego, Spanish & American Sign Language

• Edwin Guevara, Spanish

• Wilmer Gonon Chavez, Spanish

• Gileyza Michelle Gonzalez Benitez, Spanish

• Anna Nguyen, Vietnamese

• Yonatan Pena Orellana, Spanish & American Sign Language

• Astrid Gerymar Rodriguez Morla, Spanish

• Jason Steven Romero Jacobo, Spanish

• Gerber Escobar Carias, Spanish

• Paola Orozco, Spanish

Pathway Recipients:

• Alison Aguilar, Spanish

• Nadeen Alrbehat, Arabic

• Hamed Azimi, Dari

• Josibel Brito, American Sign Language

• Esmeralda Castillo Rodriguez, Spanish

• Gerber Escobar Carias, American Sign Language

• Gileyza Michelle Gonzalez Benitez, American Sign Language

• Maria Luisa Jeanty Cuasy, Spanish

• Rosa Lopez, Spanish

• Haniell Martinez, Spanish

• Antonio Montalvo, American Sign Language

• Liliana Penaloza, American Sign Language

• Wilfry Perez, Spanish & American Sign Language

• Maryleyni Sanchez Galvan, Spanish

• Gabriel Sanchez, Spanish

• Wismeily Santos Sabillon, Spanish

• Carol Angelina Somersall Feliz, Spanish

Doherty Memorial High School

Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction Recipients:

• Audrey Akoto, Twi

• Nathalie Avalos Guzman, Spanish

• Amanda Correa, Portuguese

• Jean Doll, French

• Diana Le, Vietnamese

• Luna Martinez Lopez, Spanish

• Rijana Melka, Albanian

• Kleri Morcka, Albanian

• Jorgea Nico, Albanian

• Illay Peres, Portuguese

• Johan Pinzon Nivia, Spanish

• Paula Rivera Lopez, Spanish

• Frejsis Telhaj, Albanian

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:

• Caleb Adjetey, Twi

• Wenifel Bernabel Aquino, Spanish

• Ethan Burgos, Spanish

• Ursula Dornelas, Portuguese

• Kayla Djomo, French

• Ana Clara Ferreira Batista, Portuguese

• Paola Garcia, Spanish

• Kristiana Goga, Albanian

• Guiomar Gonzalez, Spanish

• Stephany Guevara, Spanish

• Ayleen Hernandez, Spanish

• Ayron Hernandez, Spanish

• Ernesto Hernandez, Spanish

• Zuleydi Isabel, Spanish

• Xiomara Jimenez Alfonso, Spanish

• Eldamenjie Laudin, Haitian Creole

• Anthony Lubo, Spanish

• Keishly Minaya, Spanish

• Rabecca Musau, Nyanja

• Emmanuela Nascimento, Portuguese

• Osdalia Nieves, Spanish

• Ana Clara Padilha, Portuguese

• Bernardo Pena dos Santos, Portuguese

• Paola Renxa, Albanian

• Mark Rodriguez, Spanish

• Gabriela Rosario Perez, Spanish

• Grace Serrano Garcia, Spanish

• Sophia Silva, Portuguese

• Lucia Smachetti, Spanish

• Omarlyng Solano, Spanish

• Mayrelys Soto, Spanish

• Valery Soto Rivera, Spanish

Pathway Recipients:

• Haneen Abdalkarem, Arabic

• Shazia Ahmadi, Persian

• Houda Almeslmani, Arabic & Turkish

• Cindry Almonte Veloz, Spanish

• Allison Alvarado Santos, Spanish

• Keramtullah Azimi, Dari

• Yashfa Bashir, Urdu

• Favelay Doll, French

• Eldamenjie Laudin, French

• Kevin Leka, Albanian

• Nazanin Noori, Dari

• Isai Rosas, Spanish

• Mathiw Rubio, Spanish

• Diereliz Sosa, Spanish

• Denzel Torres, Spanish

• Medjine Turenne, French & Haitian Creole

• Ian Valentin Ortiz, Spanish

• Basmina Wali Zai, Pashto

Gerald Creamer Center

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:

• Barbarah Dos Santos, Portuguese

• Benny Hammond, Twi

North High School

Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction Recipients:

• Danielle Oppong, Twi

• Elizabeth Abeka Bannerman, Ga

• Felipe Souza, Portuguese

• Jordi Flores, Spanish

• Pedro Reis, Portuguese

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:

• Alba Sencion, Spanish

• Alisson Marquez, Spanish

• Alondra Sofia Figueroa Tolentino, Spanish

• Ana Isabel Ferreira Andrade, Portuguese

• Andre Souza, Portuguese

• Angelise Samson, Spanish

• Ayme Rodrigues, Portuguese

• Bashar Alhajjo, Arabic

• Brayan DeLeon, Spanish

• Brianni Acosta Montero, Spanish

• Bruna Inacio, Portuguese

• Caleb Ampong, Twi

• Carolyn Rivera, Spanish

• Chelsea Okantey, Twi

• Christopher Veillard, Haitian Creole

• Davi Ribeiro, Portuguese

• Emmanuella Aborah, Twi

• Erick Elena Villatoro, Spanish

• Fabiola Amaya, Spanish

• Glorianis Pica, Spanish

• Ian Ocasio, Spanish

• Joshua Aguilar, Spanish

• Khalil Mahmud Morel, Spanish

• Kharl Riviere, Haitian Creole

• Kiarybeth Pacheco, Spanish

• Kimberly Claire Freitas, Portuguese

• Liangely Rivera Otero, Spanish

• Marianny Garcia Valdez, Spanish

• Marly Carries, Haitian Creole

• Nicole Pineda, Spanish

• Shane Mishihu, Twi

• Sofia Carrion, Spanish

• Valentina Sanchez, Spanish

• William Quiñones, Spanish

• Winifred Omane, Twi

• Yasamin Atayee, Farsi

• Yehowa Da Sackeyfio, Twi & Ga

• Dabby Garrido Pena, Spanish

• Sophaniella Joseph, Haitian Creole

Pathway Recipients:

• Blessed Karanja, Swahili

• Brenda Lopez, Portuguese & Spanish

• Dabby Garrido Pena, Portuguese

• Djoudely R. Antoine, Haitian Creole & French

• Elias Perez Rivas, Spanish

• Fernando Jimenez, Spanish

• Fritzley Banks, Haitian Creole & French

• Jonas Figueiras, Spanish

• Jonathan Molina, Spanish

• Linsley Samuel, Swahili

• Luis Rodriguez Sanchez, Spanish

• Omar Cerritos, Spanish

• Yadielys Otero, Spanish

• Zinah Alhusaini, Arabic & Turkish

South High Community School

Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction Recipients:

• Allan Eshun, Twi

• Benjamin Williams, French

• Camila Yauckoes, Spanish

• Daniel Ong, Vietnamese

• Dao Tran, Vietnamese

• Isha Adan, Somali

• Kecie Nelson, Haitian Creole

• Leanna Obeng Sarfo, Twi

• Mendalie Eugenio Elan, Spanish

• Olivia Bode, Albanian

• Pavel Orellana, Spanish

• Suzzy Afriyie, Twi

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:

• Alex Louis, Haitian Creole, Spanish and Portuguese

• Ana Clara Aguida Correia Dos Santos, Portuguese and Spanish

• Angelica Chamorro, Spanish

• Benjamin Williams, Spanish

• Camilly Porfirio, Portuguese & Spanish

• Caua Martins, Portuguese

• Davis Bosompem, Twi

• Dieu Seul Madjitoloum, French

• Eduarda De Calais, Portuguese

• Emily Huerta, American Sign Language

• Emily Yoshida, Portuguese and Spanish

• Erika Gutierrez, Spanish

• Evelyn Owusu-Boahene, Twi

• Huu Thinh Hua, Vietnamese

• Ian Reyes, Spanish

• Jaydaliz Melendez, Spanish

• Jeffrey Antwi, Twi

• Joel Meza Pineda, Spanish

• Jordan Dennett, Spanish

• Karla Orellana Hernandez, Spanish

• Kenderson Dorcelus, Haitian Creole & Portuguese

• Kevin Quito, Spanish

• Lary Feliz Valenzuela, Spanish

• Leonardo Centeno Kurlanska, Spanish

• Lucas Oliveira, Portuguese

• Luisianne Quijada, Spanish

• Mahdia Yaqoobi, Dari, Persian and Pashto

• Manuel De jesús Ferreira Matias, Spanish

• Marcella Santos, Portuguese

• Maria Bittencourt, Portuguese

• Minh Khoa Nguyen, Vietnamese

• Muriel Gibbons, American Sign Language

• Natalia Cruz, Spanish

• Nguyen Tu, Vietnamese

• Pablo Coelho da Silva, Portuguese

• Samuel Owusu Ansah, Twi

• Stephany Morales Mena, Spanish

• Uziel Romero, Spanish

• Wyatt Pesina-Espejo, Spanish

Pathway Recipients:

• Carli Leong, Spanish

• Daniel Ong, Spanish

• Emelly Ferreira, Portuguese

• Eny Mella, Spanish

• Gabriela Alves, Portuguese & Spanish

• Hermione Garcia Lopez, Spanish

• Isabelly Costa Veloso, Portuguese

• Israel Nyarko, French

• Kenderson Dorcelus, Spanish

• Leonardo Alvarez, Spanish

• Maycol Rivera, Spanish

• Michael Ansel, Spanish

• Simon Munoz, Spanish

• Vanesa Elias Gonon, Spanish

University Park Campus School

Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction Recipients:

• Saksham Rijal, Nepali

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:

• Chamyl Gutierrez Lora, Spanish

• Laura Cáceres Ruiz, Spanish

• Maylie Jean, Spanish

• Valeria Gonzalez Peña, Spanish

• Kawther Naji, Arabic

Pathway Recipients:

• Saksham Rijal, Hindi

Worcester Technical High School

Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction Recipients:

• Marcelo Pereira, Portuguese

Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:

• Alice Batista Aragones, Portuguese

• Alisson Granadino, Spanish

• Angelisa Pichardo, Spanish

• Angie Rivera, Spanish

• Ashley Freitas Duarte, Portuguese

• Carmen Lopez Portalatin, Spanish

• Emily Fuentes Bautista, Spanish

• Erica Ramirez Mercedes, Spanish

• Escarlet Calderon Rosa, Spanish

• Gabriela Victoria Valles Haidar, Spanish

• Grizelda Quintanilla, Spanish

• Kevilly Farias, Portuguese

• Kevin Arias Rivera, Spanish

• Melisa Gomez Escobar, Spanish

• Nathan Setaro, Italian

• Oscar Hernandez, Spanish

• Priscila Da Silva Costa, Portuguese

• Roni Victor, Portuguese

• Yaichel Garcia-Hernandez, Spanish

• Phuong Huynh, Vietnamese

Pathway Recipients:

• Audra Merkelis, Lithuanian

• Chrystian Da Silva Gomes, Portuguese

• Daniella Tamayo, Spanish

• Fernanda Hernandez, Spanish

• Genesis Lopez, Spanish

• Hennys De La Cruz, Spanish

• Jairo Chavez, Spanish

• Jaydalis Padilla, Spanish

• Juliannalis Alvarado Velez, Spanish

• Karla Maravilla, Spanish

• Kayleen Fajardo, Spanish

• Roni Victor, Spanish