CUMBERLAND — With incredible enthusiasm, Blackstone Valley Prep High School (BVPHS) is pleased to announce Bella Magee of Cumberland as valedictorian, and Mariela Cadena Hernandez of Central Falls and Sam Millette of Cumberland as co-salutatorians. All three scholars started at BVP in 2010 as fifth graders.
Magee is an active member of the BVPHS community, having served as a Scholar Ambassador all four years of her high school tenure. She is a member of BVP’s first chorus, the yearbook committee, the senior committee, and the PRIDE Coalition, BVP’s version of a gay-straight alliance. Outside of school, she is a competitive dancer. Magee will attend Brown University this fall for public health/pre-med. She hopes to attend medical school and become a doctor.
“I am so excited and incredibly honored to be named Blackstone Valley Prep’s valedictorian of the College Class of 2023,” said Magee. “I am looking forward to my next four years at Brown University, and I know BVP’s commitment to college readiness has prepared me to be successful in the future.”
Cadena Hernandez is a first generation college student and a QuestBridge scholar. During her BVPHS tenure, she participated in volleyball, track, the yearbook committee, the senior committee, and the PRIDE Coalition. In her spare time, she volunteers at Miriam Hospital and the Brown University Research Lab. She will attend Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. this fall on a pre-med track with a major in biology. She aspires to become a pediatrician helping underserved communities.
“BVP has prepared me for my future and, without BVP, I would not have been able to find mentors or have access to a college and career team that actually cared for me and challenged me throughout the years.”
Millette, an Eagle Scout, will attend Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. on a full-tuition, three-year national Army ROTC scholarship where he will major in computer science. At BVP, he was the captain and founder of the Rugby 7’s team and the varsity volleyball team.
“BVP has given me the gift of an unparalleled education that has surely prepared me for my time at Pomona. Not just from books and lectures, BVP has given me an education on the diversity in our nation, and the reality that comes along with it. I’m certainly more in touch with the reality of many of my peers, and I know that in the army, and at Pomona, I will be a better leader for this understanding,” said Millette.
Graduation will take place on Saturday, June 15, at noon at BVPHS.
