High School Scholars Shine in the HOPE Program
Stony Brook Medicine recognized the achievements of 74 high school students at the 2026 Health Occupations Partnership for Excellence (HOPE) Program Moving-Up and Graduation Ceremony on Tuesday, May 5, in the Bauman Center. The group featured 39 graduating seniors and 35 juniors from four partner school districts: Brentwood, Longwood, William Floyd and Wyandanch.
HOPE is an after-school program for high school juniors and seniors that offers insight and mentorship to students interested in pursuing careers in healthcare and medicine. For more than 20 years the program has helped to forge college and career pathways for over 300 students from underrepresented and underserved communities across Long Island.
This year’s graduates are planning to pursue studies in a variety of fields, including health science, biology, nursing, psychology, neuroscience, chemistry and education. Seven seniors will begin their undergraduate careers here at Stony Brook, and one student is entering the U.S. Navy as a member of the Hospital Corpsman program. Others will attend institutions on Long Island, including St. Joseph’s, Hofstra and LIU, as well as universities further afield, like Binghamton, Pittsburgh, Rochester, UPenn and Yale.
The students were joined by their families, teachers, administrators, HOPE program facilitators and institutional leaders from Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine. President Andrea Goldsmith delivered remarks to the audience, encouraging the students to dream big and seize opportunities, even when they involve risk. Judi Brown Clarke, vice president for equity & inclusion, chief health equity officer and chief diversity officer commended the students for their hard work and called them to enter the medical field with their sights trained on health equity.
Adesuwa Watson, director of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Office of Minority Health, delivered the keynote address, sharing her journey toward working in public health. She encouraged the students to seek mentorship at every stage of their education and to welcome opportunities that might come from outside their planned trajectories.
The graduates reflected on their personal growth in two ways during the ceremony: with vision boards and six-word-memoirs. A vision board created by each student was displayed on the stage and projected on screen as they received their awards and certificates. While on stage, they shared a six-word memoir aloud, an activity inspired by the Six-Word Memoir® Project. These memoirs are always a highlight of the event, capturing the graduate’s lives and journeys in a few simple words.
The HOPE program is coordinated by the University and Medicine Community Relations Office. Departments and groups from across Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine led presentations, tours and training during the 2024-25 school year. Presenters included Senior Leadership, Admissions; Biomedical Engineering; Alda Center for Communicating Science; Internal Medicine; Pediatrics; Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Dental Medicine; School of Health Professions; School of Nursing; School of Social Welfare; Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery; Cancer Center; Radiology & Biomedical Informatics; Sports Medicine; Stony Brook Simulation Lab; Stony Brook HOME Clinic; The Medical Scientist Training Program, Stony Brook Trauma Center; and the Long Island State Veteran’s Home.
HOPE Seniors 2025-26
Brentwood High School
Aamina Raju
Aisha Mahmood
Alexander Asiamah Jr.
Alexandra Ordonez
Benjamin Velis
Erika Romero
Evelyn Macas
Janely Chavez Pleites
Jasmine Contreras
Maham Farooq
Marjorie Romero
Melissa Saravia
Longwood High School
Alexis Lollo
Arleth Rivera
Aubreyanna Schwetje
Casey Muchirahondo
Catherine Baker
Colin Vassallo
Erika Lopez
Gianna Landetta
Grace Mitchell
Katherine Valdes Ramos
Logan Cohen
Mary Sherman
Salma Saber
Sharika Emran
William Floyd High School
Alison Koshita
Ciara Chicaiza
Courtney Petersen
Elif Akgun
Jaiden D’Eredita
Jibran Akaloo
Jordan Hua
Julianna Melendez
Laaibah Khan
Violet Yau
Wyandanch High School
Brennely Euceda
Keiry Argueta
Leslie Bonilla Canales
HOPE Juniors 2025-26
Brentwood High School
Christopher Argueta Claros
Tania Bonilla Turcios
Giselle Calderon
Jackelinne Coreas
Ever Garcia Alfaro
Queyli Gomez
Jennifer Gomez
Beyonca Gutierrez Rodriguez
Ludjina Paul
Tarini Rambharose
Kayla Volmar
Longwood High School
Samantha Brown
Jaeleen Cabrera
Kathryn Jiang
Elora Massian
Myrtha Michel
Alexandria Palese
Ivanna Paredes
Emma Reis
Sara Smatkitboriharn
Calesa Taylor
Khloe Uruburu
Melicha Benjamin
Logan Cohen
Mary Sherman
Olivia Stuto
Salma Saber
Sharika Emran
William Floyd High School
Emely Argueta
Flor Arriaza
Aida Cisse
Mackenzie Hackett
Rebecca Halepota
Steven Lin
Lily Quinn
Jose Rodas
Juliana Ruiz
Nicholas Selvaggio
Wyandanch High School
Paige Henry
Keren Lagos-Canales
Dayana Santos