FREEPORT—Adam Acevedo will attend Stanford University with a full-ride academic scholarship. 

 

A parishioner of St. Mary in Freeport, Acevedo will be heading to California this fall after graduating in the top five of his class at Freeport.

 

During his high school career he has taken part in Showtime (an annual Freeport High School musical performance), jazz band, marching band, student council and is a member of the National Honor Society. 

 

He and a classmate have been helping students through the college application process by starting a mentorship program. 

 

He has been a four-year volunteer with the religious education program at St. Mary and last year received the St. Timothy Youth Award. 

 

He plans to major in pre-med with an emphasis on psychology. His goal is to become a psychiatrist, helping those who suffer from mental illness, and helping to destigmatize the disease so people will feel it is alright to seek help. 

 

Acevedo, who also plays the saxophone, plans to join the Stanford band — a big reason he wanted to get into Stanford University. The band features a member playing the saxophone upside down, a feat that he says he is going to try to do. 

 

His parents, Juana Ortiz and Amado Acevedo, along with other relatives and friends, celebrated his achievements with a cake at the Holy Family Community Center on the last day of religious education classes this year.