or pupil, it depends, without context it isn't that easy...

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Note added at 54 mins (2009-08-28 01:57:05 GMT)
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ornatissimum is superlative, but 'excellent' has a superlative sense

maybe 'really ecxcellent' - but I think excellent is enough..

ornatum

ornat.um VPAR 1 1 NOM S N PERF PASSIVE PPL
ornat.um VPAR 1 1 VOC S N PERF PASSIVE PPL
ornat.um VPAR 1 1 ACC S M PERF PASSIVE PPL
ornat.um VPAR 1 1 ACC S N PERF PASSIVE PPL
ornat.um SUPINE 1 1 ACC S N
orno, ornare, ornavi, ornatus V (1st) [XXXAX]
equip; dress; decorate, honor; furnish, adorn, garnish, trim;
ornat.um ADJ 1 1 NOM S N POS
ornat.um ADJ 1 1 VOC S N POS
ornat.um ADJ 1 1 ACC S M POS
ornat.um ADJ 1 1 ACC S N POS
ornatus, ornata -um, ornatior -or -us, ornatissimus -a -um ADJ [XXXDX] lesser
well equipped/endowed, richly adorned, ornate; distinguished, honored;


protegee

alumnus, alumni N (2nd) M 2 1 M [XXXBO]
nursling, young animal/plant; ward, protegee; native daughter; nurse, mother;

clienta, clientae N (1st) F 1 1 F [XXXCO]
female dependent/client, protegee; female votary;


alumnus
n. male graduate (of a school, college, etc.)

In classical, particularly Ciceronian, prose with a laudatory tone superlatives are often used simply for the sake of a more euphonious prose rhythm. But attention to prose rhythm is rarely observed in diplomas, whose style tends to be either very bombastic or very simple, and I believe that the superlative has its genuine force here. Moreover, 'ornatus' usually means 'distinguished, eminent, illustrious', only occassionally merely 'excellent', since it is really a perfect passive participle of 'ornare' and implies that the graduate is furnished with all the qualities necessary to have acquired a sound education. Cf., e.g., Cicero, de Oratore, 1.10.42, 1.11.49: 'ornatus...in dicendo'; in Verrem, 2.1.48, §127: 'homo ornatissimus loco, ordine, nomine, virtute, ingenio, copiis'.