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