Boston Red Sox host Latino Youth Recognition Day Honoring East Boston and Chelsea Students
NeighborHealth Sponsors Celebration of Academic Excellence for Local Latino Middle Schoolers
BOSTON, MA (July 02, 2025) – On Monday, June 30, 2025, Fenway Park was filled with cheers that went beyond baseball, as the historic stadium celebrated Latino Youth Recognition Day, an event that has honored top-achieving Latino middle school students from East Boston and Chelsea Public Schools for the past 30 years. An event hosted by El Mundo Boston in partnership with the Boston Red Sox, and proudly sponsored by Salud del vecino, the evening spotlighted academic excellence with a heartwarming pre-game ceremony before the Red Sox took on the Cincinnati Reds.
Students from the Umana and Excel Academy in East Boston, and the Excel Academy, Browne Middle School, Clark Avenue School, y Eugene Wright Middle School in Chelsea were recognized on the field as academic “all-stars,” hand-selected by their teachers for outstanding performance in the classroom. The honorees were presented with certificates of achievement during a special on-field celebration featuring several Red Sox players, including Romy Gonzalez, Brennan Bernardino, and Liam Hendriks.
The student honorees include:
Umana Academy, East Boston
- Jose, 6El grade
- Laila, 7El grade
- Jeuriel, 8El grade
Excel Academy, East Boston
- Sophia, 6El grade
- Marcos, 7El grade
- Brian, 7El grade
Excel Greenway, East Boston
- Andrea, 7El grade
- Cesc, 7El grade
- Elizabeth, 6El grade
Excel Academy, Chelsea
- Adrian, 6th grade
- Breno, 7El grade
- Katsya, 8El grade
Browne Middle School, Chelsea
- Carlos, 8El grade
- Brayan, 7El grade
Clark Avenue School, Chelsea
- Diamelys, 8El grade
- Kevin, 6El grade
- Stacey, 6El grade
- Issac, 7El grade
Eugene Wright Middle School, Chelsea
- Skye, 6El grade
- Alessandro, 6El grade
- Melissa, 7El grade
- Jeheli, 7El grade
Jamie Hazard, Interim CEO and Chief Financial Officer of NeighborHealth, congratulated the top-performing students during the ceremony, emphasizing the broader impact of celebrating youth achievement.
“NeighborHealth believes that investing in the next generation means showing up to celebrate the achievements of our young people, while also creating pathways to opportunity,” said Hazard. “It is a joy to stand alongside these incredible students in such an iconic space. Recognitions like these not only honor their hard work but help nurture pride, confidence, and community.”
Also speaking at the event was El Mundo Boston President and CEO Alberto Vasallo III, who highlighted the long-running tradition of Latino Youth Recognition Days and the importance of affirming Latino students’ success publicly and proudly.
Other sponsors in attendance included Massport, Beth Israel Lahey Health, VitraHealth, Bank of America, Comcast, State Street and International Grains and Cereal. This is the second of three youth recognition day celebrations at Fenway this season.
CONTACTO DE PRENSA:
Julia Covelle
781.507.3120
Información Acerca de NeighborHealth
NeighborHealth, anteriormente East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, es uno de los Centros de Salud Federalmente Calificados (FQHC) más grandes del país y el sistema de atención primaria comunitaria más grande de Massachusetts. Atiende a más de 130,000 personas y está reconocido por la Administración de Recursos y Servicios de Salud (HRSA) como Líder Nacional en Calidad. Durante más de 50 años, NeighborHealth ha ofrecido acceso a atención primaria integral, atención especializada y atención de emergencia a pacientes en la Commonwealth. En una fusión pionera en 2020, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center unió fuerzas con el South End Community Health Center y amplió sus servicios a pacientes que viven y trabajan en los vecindarios de South End y Roxbury de Boston. NeighborHealth promueve modelos de atención innovadores para reducir activamente las brechas de equidad en salud en nuestras comunidades de bajos ingresos e inmigrantes, con servicios únicos en comparación con otros proveedores de atención médica en nuestro estado. Para obtener más información, visite https://neighborhealth.com/es/.
Photo Credit and Caption
Red Sox players Romy Gonzalez, Brennan Bernardino, and Liam Hendriks, along with team mascot Tessie, joined Latino Youth Recognition Day sponsors on the field to celebrate and congratulate student honorees from East Boston and Chelsea Public Schools.
Latino Youth Recognition Day honoree Laila Rojas high-fives Red Sox mascot Tessie during the celebration.
East Boston and Chelsea Public School honorees gather during Latino Youth Recognition Day at Fenway Park with Lorena Silva of VitraHealth.
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NeighborHealth Interim President & CEO and Chief Financial Officer Jamie Hazard greets Latino Youth Recognition Day honorees Laila Rojas (right) and Jose Martinez Portillo (left) from the Umana Middle School in East Boston.
NeighborHealth Director of Communications Emily Martin (left) and Interim President & CEO and Chief Financial Officer Jamie Hazard (right) stand in front of Fenway Park’s Green Monster during the Latino Youth Recognition Day celebration.
