Fifty-Six Rhode Island Students Awarded Pell Medal for Excellence in U.S. History
Newport, R.I. — Fifty-six students from across Rhode Island have earned the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History this year. The award was originally presented by Senator Claiborne Pell and his wife, Mrs. Nuala Pell, recognizes college and high school students in the state who have excelled in U.S. History.
Established by the Pell family, the Pell Medal 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, which features a pelican on the left side and an anchor on the right, symbolizes the Pell family and the state of Rhode Island. The Pell Center at Salve Regina University is proud to honor outstanding students of American history in Rhode Island.
The winners of the 2021 Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for excellence in the study of U.S. History are:
Barrington
Elija Davis, Barrington High School
Ibrahim Falls, St. Andrew’s School
Bristol
Chelsea Goodman, Mt. Hope High School
Carmen Mei, Roger Williams University
Central Falls
Karen Figueroa, Central Falls High School
Coventry
Aiden Ward, Coventry High School
Cranston
Rachel Cabral, Cranston High School East
Cumberland
Thomas Goggin, Cumberland High School
East Greenwich
Lila Somvanshi, East Greenwich High School
East Providence
Lola Abel, Providence Country Day School
George Benziger, East Providence High School
Harrisville
Kaitlyn Pristawa, Burrillville High School
Johnston
Nicholas Petrillo, Johnston Senior High School
Kingston
Austin Coppinger, University of Rhode Island
Lincoln
Jordan Amorim, Lincoln High School
Hailey Otero, Davies High School
Middletown
Eoin Egan, Middletown High
Scituate
Rhiannon Trunzo, Ponaganset High School
Narragansett
Andrew Simone, Narragansett High School
Newport
Margaret Coen, Rogers High School
Kyra Dezjot, Salve Regina University
North Kingstown
Jack Watson, North Kingstown High School
Samantha Williams, North Providence High School
Pawtucket
Arissa Campbell, Charles E. Shea High School
Kendra Dos Santos Landim, Blackstone Academy Charter School
Alious Sissoko, William E Tolman High School
Portsmouth
Amalie Kamen, Portsmouth Abbey
Maeve Sullivan, Portsmouth High School
Providence
Catherine Adams, School One
Kyle Burgess, Providence College
Nicholas Griffin, Classical High School
Noel Holl, Rhode Island College
Eleanor Jenkins, La Salle Academy
Maddalena Ledezma, Lincoln School
Ethan Murakami, Rhode Island School of Design
Aisha Odetunde, Hope High School
Melanie Pincus, Brown University
Alyson Newsome, Paul Cuffee Upper School
Riverside
Kylie Mulhearn, St. Mary Academy Bay View
South Kingstown
Daniel McGovern, South Kingstown High School
Scituate
Olivia Barone, Scituate High School
Smithfield
Alyse Beauchemin, Bryant University
Olivia Bilotti, Smithfield High School
Tiverton
Gwyneth Hallman, Tiverton High School
West Greenwich
Quinn Budnick, The Greene School
Wakefield
Aiden Skidds, The Prout School
Warwick
Nicholas Maroni, Pilgrim High School
Alex Mehta, Toll Gate High School
Nigel Stafford, Bishop Hendricken High School
Nathaniel Powers, Exeter West Greenwich High School
West Warwick
Mae D’Ambra, West Warwick High School
Westerly
David Bilotto, Westerly High School
Wood River Junction
Isabelle Sullivan-Rackliff, Chariho High School
Woonsocket
Ethan Brodeur, Beacon Charter High School for the Arts
Daliza Reinoso, Woonsocket High School
Sean Trottier, Mount Saint Charles Academy