When Angie Peguero walked across the stage to receive her Neighborhood House Charter School’s high school diploma on Thurs., June 11, in the Strand Theatre, she was no longer thinking about the hard advanced placement (AP) courses she had taken or the sacrifices she made to maintain top grades. The only thing on her mind in that moment, she said, were the relationships she established along the way.
Peguero was named the valedictorian of the NHCS’s Class of 2026, but to her, the more important title is “friend.”
She noted that “as we got closer to the end of the year, it started to hit me that we would no longer be sitting in the same classes together, all going to Charlie’s for lunch, or attending the senior events. It’s the tiny memories that we have formed our senior year that have kept us pushing, and, more importantly, those memories have helped us to grow to understand and truly see the unique qualities of each senior.”
The 18-year-old Peguero, a lifelong Dorchester resident, began her NHCS journey in fifth grade at the Queen Street campus and quickly distinguished herself as an accomplished scholar. But if you ask her, she’ll say the best part of elementary and middle school actually followed the final school bell.
“One of my favorite memories would be the after-school program that they have at the lower campus,” she said in an interview with The Reporter. “That’s where I got close to the friends I have here.”
In sixth grade, she solidified her friendship with fellow graduate Emily McCarthy, and in the interview just about every story included McCarthy’s name.
During their junior year, the pair co-founded and led the school’s Morning Announcements Club. As seniors, they bonded over spring rolls in Mandarin 4 language classes. And as recent graduates, they have already mapped out the middle meeting point between McCarthy’s dorm at Merrimack College and Peguero’s at Tufts University, where she will enroll this fall.
“I love her so much, my best friend. I don’t know where I would be without her,” said Peguero. “I want to add that I couldn’t have made it through high school without my family, especially my mom. Around my mom and Emily, I feel most like myself.”
With a strong support system of family and friends, Peguero thrived throughout her eight years at NHCS. She helped start the school’s Model UN Team, participated in the Volunteer Club, served as a Teacher Assistant, and has been involved outside of school with Breakthrough Boston since 2019.
She also excelled in AP courses, even though they weren’t on her mind at graduation. Over the past year, she balanced three AP courses – government, language, and pre-calculus) – and a college-level psychology class. Between the big moments, Peguero focused on the little ones.
“A few of my friends and I were in a college class for psychology. It was the second semester, and when we were done with our final exam, we would go into that class and play ‘Uno No Mercy’ the entire class period,” said Peguero. “It’s genuinely some of the funniest moments I’ve had. It’s Uno, but ten times worse. To have my friends rage-quitting and have to pick up 30 cards in a row, I’d say that. Even though it happened for a short period, it was so fun.”
While the card games have come to an end, the class surely left an impact on Peguero’s future. Though she will head to Tufts’ Medford campus with an undecided major as a first-year student, she has her sights set on the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development.
“I want to be a child psychologist,” she noted confidently.
With five siblings, four of whom are six years old and under, she has had plenty of practice with children. “I spent a lot of time with my sisters,” said Peguero, who also has a 16-year-old brother. “I look after them a lot of the time.”
Peguero isn’t just the oldest child in the family; as the daughter of two Dominican Republic immigrants, she is a first-generation high school graduate. Now, as a valedictorian, it’s safe to say that she’s set the bar high for her younger brother and sisters.
When she gets a moment alone, Peguero can be found with a book in hand, usually a supernatural series, or sipping on a Raspberry Lime Rickey from P.S. Gourmet.
For the summer, she hopes to work part-time, complete a bucket list of activities with McCarthy and their friend group, and spend time with her family. While she looks forward to becoming a Tufts Jumbo, she said she will always be an NHCS Legend.
Reflecting on her time at the school’s Centre Street Campus, she said, “If I had the chance to go back in time and change anything about these past four years, I wouldn’t.”
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