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 2, 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 NeighborHealth, 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, and 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.

Umana Academy, East Boston

Jose Martinez Portillo, 6^th grade
Laila Rojas, 7^th grade
Jeuriel Santana Tejeda, 8^th grade

Excel Academy, East Boston

Sophia Peraza Rivera, 6^th grade
Marcos Tejeda, 7^th grade
Brian Urquilla Fajardo, 7^th grade

Excel Greenway, East Boston

Andrea J. Mercado Santiago, 7^th grade
Cesc N. Moran, 7^th grade
Elizabeth V. De Leon, 6^th 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.