When Governor Andrew Cuomo came to Rochester Tuesday, he made a stop at Vanguard Collegiate High School on Norton Street in Rochester.
He was there to present one of the Empire State Excellence in Teaching Awards.
It went to Adel Bouallagui, who teaches English as a second language.
Boullagoi is a native of Tunisia in North Africa, and came to the U.S. in 1998. He says he knows what it’s like to come to another country and need help with language skills.
“Being a second language learner myself, and to have Governor Cuomo come here personally and honor me, it’s an honor to all my students and to all the work that we do.”
Boullagoi speaks several languages including Spanish, French, Italian, German and Arabic.
As part of the award, he gets a $5,000 stipend which he will use to further his education.