TAG Latino Program honors Nydia Mendez for her work on behalf of Boston's English Language Learners

BOSTON - The Talented And Gifted (TAG) Latino Program recently presented an award to Nydia O. Mendez, Director of the Office of Language Learning and Support Services (OLLSS) for the Boston Public Schools. TAG honored Ms. Mendez at its 21st anniversary gala celebration for her commitment to the program and her work on behalf of Boston students whose first language is not English.

Ms. Mendez began her career in the Boston Public Schools in 1973 as a teacher at the Tobin School. Since then, she has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and has worked as a school principal and other administrative roles. She has led the district's central office for bilingual education since 1998.

The TAG Latino program is sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Boston, in partnership with the Boston Public Schools. TAG operates in primarily in Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School, English High School, and the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. Launched in 1985, the program offers a range of programs - including tutoring, mentoring, college preparation, family engagement, and extra-curricular activities - to approximately 250 Latino students during the school year and 300 during the summer. Students who participate in the program and successfully complete high school are guaranteed admission to UMass Boston.

Nydia O. Mendez, Boston Public Schools' Director of the Office of Language Learning and Support Services, accepts an award from the Talented and Gifted (TAG) Latino Program sponsored by Umass Boston, for her work on behalf of English Language Learners. At right is Rick Otero, a 1990 graduate of the TAG program and Boston Latin Academy.