Press Release: 5/2/2025

Keolis Awards $50,000 in Scholarships to Local High School Students at State House Event

Students from Boston, Brockton, Lawrence, Lynn and Worcester honored



May 1, 2025 (BOSTON) - Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the operating and maintenance partner for the MBTA Commuter Rail, announced today that it has awarded a total of $50,000 in scholarships to 25 local students as part of the 2025 Keolis Scholars program. The students were selected from five cities in the Commuter Rail service area: Brockton, Boston, Lawrence, Lynn, and Worcester. The students can use the $2,000 scholarship to help pay for post-secondary education or job training.   



Each academic year since 2015-2016, Keolis has collaborated with these cities, which have public school districts that largely educate students from underserved communities and first-generation families, to select Keolis Scholars based on both merit and financial need.   



The selected students and their families were recognized at an awards ceremony held at the State House joined by Governor Maura Healey and several state and local elected officials, including: Senator Nick Collins, Senator Brendan Crighton, Senator Michael Moore, Senator Pavel Payano,  Representative Jennifer Armini, Representative Daniel Donahue, Representative Russell Holmes, Representative Mary Keefe, Representative Rita Mendes, Representative Frank Moran, Representative James O’Day, Representative Francisco Paulino, Representative Bridget Plouffe, Representative Sean Reid, Representative Estela Reyes, and Lawrence Mayor Brian De Peña. 



“At Keolis, we are committed to making a positive impact in the communities we serve every day,” said Abdellah Chajai, CEO and General Manager of Keolis Commuter Services. “It was an honor for us to celebrate each of these Keolis Scholars alongside their families, guidance counselors, and with their state and local elected officials.  Congratulations to the students who received scholarships in recognition of their achievements during high school."   



2025 Keolis Scholarship Awardees from Boston:    




  • Jordon Murray  




  • Jesus Ismael Felix Paredes  




  • Anthony Eliezer Centeio Pires  




  • Abu Sayem  




  • Christian Recinos Vargas  



2025 Keolis Scholarship Awardees from Brockton:   




  • Jasmine Correia 




  • Chibuzo Izunwanne 




  • Zachary Lacey 




  • Iris Silva-Goncalves 




  • Keira Williamson 



2025 Keolis Scholarship Awardees from Lawrence:    




  • Pamela Castillo-Mora  




  • Kewra Echavarria  




  • Saul Santos Jimenez  




  • Sebastian Navedo  




  • Maria A. Guerrero Peguero  



2025 Keolis Scholarship Awardees from Lynn:    




  • Ahmed Abdelrahman  




  • Ethan Chilel  




  • Christian Figueroa  




  • Yesibel Peguero  




  • Veronica Platero  



2025 Keolis Scholarship Awardees from Worcester:    




  • Nerlin Erazo Reyes  




  • Lisa Nguyen  




  • Ngoc Nguyen  




  • Jada Osei  




  • Naisha Santiago  



Keolis Commuter Services has operated and maintained the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Commuter Rail system, the sixth largest commuter rail operation in North America, for more than ten years. KCS is a subsidiary of Keolis North America (KNA), both headquartered in Boston, and employs approximately 2,400 people throughout the region. KCS and KNA are part of Keolis Group, an innovative global leader in transit services with more than a century of passenger transportation experience and operations in 13 countries.