61 Rhode Island students honored with the 2026 Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for Excellence in U.S. History
Salve Regina University's Pell Center is proud to continue the tradition of honoring students across Rhode Island for excellence in American history.
Sixty-one students from across Rhode Island have been awarded the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History this year, a distinction that recognizes outstanding academic achievement in the study of American history at both the high school and collegiate levels.
The Pell Medal was established by the Pell family and is named for Representative Herbert C. Pell and his son, Senator Claiborne Pell. Herbert Pell served as a member of Congress and American Minister to Portugal and Hungary, while Claiborne Pell, who is responsible for the creation of the Pell Grants and the National Endowment for the Humanities, served in the Senate for 36 years and worked to strengthen American foreign policy.
The medal features a pelican and an anchor, symbols that represent both the Pell family and the state of Rhode Island. The Pell Center at Salve Regina University is proud to continue this tradition of honoring students who exhibit excellence in the field of American history in Rhode Island.
The 2026 recipients of the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal are:
Barrington Christian Academy: Niall Howe
Barrington High School: Hayden Kelley
Beacon Charter High School for the Arts: Cecilia Dancause
Bishop Hendricken High School: Danu Kim
Blackstone Academy Charter School: Damien Candido
Brown University: Henry Robbins
Bryant University: Sage Patterson
Burrillville High School: Sean Zanella
Central Falls High School: Emanuel Teixeira
Central High School: Jose Montano Bejarano
Chariho High School: Ezri Acton
Charles E. Shea High School: Helser Garcia
Classical High School: Graham Welsh
Cranston East: Patrick DeRosa
Cranston High School West: Alayna Fitzgerald
East Greenwich High School: Olivia Ruth
East Providence High School: Owen Myers
E-Cubed Academy: Cristal Rodriguez
Johnston Senior High School: Lucas Simpson
La Salle Academy: Marshall Vernon
Lincoln High School: Jonathan Such
Lincoln School: Addie Passalacqua
Middletown High School: James Corr
Mount Saint Charles Academy: Garrett Sylvestre
Mt. Hope High School: Kara Pisasale
Narragansett High School: Hadrian Duncan
North Kingstown High School: Ruby Galle
North Providence High School: Alisha Zhuang
North Smithfield High School: Emma Bryan
Paul Cuffee Upper School: Londyn Ferrera
Pawtucket High School: Alicia Almeida
Pilgrim High School: Emma Deus
Ponaganset High School: Ethan Lemanski
Portsmouth Abbey School: Xiaoran Chen
Portsmouth High School: Hanalei Streuli
Providence Career and Technical Academy: Leslie James
Providence College: Courtney Wight
Providence Country Day School: Gala Heimer
Rhode Island College: Mason Hennessey
Rhode Island School of Design: Haimo Wei
Rocky Hill Country Day School: Alara Kokturk
Roger Williams University: Rachel Cabral
Rogers High School: Ian Sigler
Salve Regina University: Noella Suchecki
School One: Layla Rose
Scituate High School: Lauren Henault
Smithfield High School: Makayla Ross
South Kingstown High School: Marah Nelson
St. Andrew's School: Dhanna Guerrero Sanchez
St. Mary Academy Bay View: Ariana Bobiak
St. Patrick Academy: Aliana Hernandez
The Greene School: Avery Matteson
The Prout School: Lawson Graybill
Tiverton High School: Kylie Burgo
Toll Gate High School: Edward Corbett IV
University of Rhode Island: Abigail Elias
West Warwick High School: Jeremy Rice
Westerly High School: Jesse Adriano
William E Tolman High School: Christopher Guaman
William M. Davies: Jr. Career & Technical Career & Technical High School: Kenadee Houle
Woonsocket High School: David Vega