News Release

September 15, 2026

Nebraska Students Awarded Seals of Biliteracy

The Nebraska Department of Education, in partnership with the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Advisory Committee, is proud to announce that 247 Nebraska Seals of Biliteracy have been awarded to high school students in the August 2026 award cycle. These prestigious recognitions honor students who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in English and at least one additional language.

The Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy celebrates students who have developed this valuable 21st century skill, with proficiency verified through assessments aligned to the Nebraska World Language Standards. These standards emphasize communication, cultures, connections, communities, and cognition in a language other than English.

This year’s August award cycle represents remarkable growth for Nebraska’s Seal of Biliteracy program. The number of awards increased from 122 recipients in the August 2025 award cycle to 247 recipients in August 2026, resulting in 125 additional recipients and more than doubling participation in the August awards cycle. This achievement reflects the growing commitment of Nebraska students, educators, schools, and families to multilingualism and language learning across the state.

For the August 2026 awards, students demonstrated proficiency in Arabic (2), Chinese (1), French (18), and Spanish (226). The names of the August 2026 recipients who have parent permission for public recognition are listed below.

2026 August Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Recipients

Arabic

Fariza Safsaf – Burke High School

Mouaad Lahnit – Burke High School

Chinese

Baoyu Wang – Lincoln Southwest High School

French

Amelia Eastwood – Central High School

Audrianna Reese – Central High School

Berdina Maboundou Loussakou – Burke High School

Caitlin Loeske – Central High School

Claudia Mauwa – Central High School

Dannielle Worsley – Central High School

Elizabeth McGovern – Central High School

Elsa Bates – Lincoln Northwest High School

Evan DeMaria – Central High School

Gabrielle Weberg – Central High School

Iman Gull – Lincoln High School

Marissa Harris – Central High School

Paula Gutierrez Martinez – Central High School

Phineas Johnson Dahlke – Central High School

Tessa Priesman – Central High School

Vincent Price Howerton – Central High School

Vivian Dauner – Central High School

Willa Koehn – Central High School

Spanish

Abril Vargas-Mejia – Central High School

Adani Benitez-Ozuna – Central High School

Addison Ahikpo – Lincoln High School

Addison Sylliaasen – Bishop Neumann High School

Adrianna Graziella Craig – Central High School

Aleigha Ogden – West Holt High School

Alejandro Chavez Alvarez – Lincoln High School

Alexa Castillo Castillo – Burke High School

Alexis Kleckner – David City Secondary School

Ana Rivas-Jimenez – Buena Vista High School

Ana Tercero Bautista – Burke High School

Angela Andrew – Central High School

Angela Cui – Millard North High School

Anuraag Ganti – Millard North High School

Anushka Sajja – Millard North High School

Arnav Gupta – Millard North High School

Atziri Molina-Lorenzo – Buena Vista High School

Avery Hollman – Lincoln Northwest High School

Axel Barron Chavez – Central High School

Aylhin Castro Rodriguez – Exeter Milligan Friend High School

Bayleigh Cantrall – Bishop Neumann High School

Beatrix Murcek – Central High School

Ben Lanham – Lincoln High School

Berkleigh Dvorak – West Holt High School

Brady Quinlivan – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Brandon Hardin – Mullen Public Schools

Cambria Kumpula – Bishop Neumann High School

Camila Valdovinos – Buena Vista High School

Carter Chmelka – Bishop Neumann High School

Cheyenon Heidemann – Lincoln High School

Chloe Fahy – Lincoln High School

Christina Beard – Lincoln Southeast High School

Christopher Marino Reyes – Lincoln High School

Colton Dillashaw – Lincoln High School

Connor Chen – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Daleni Knust – West Holt High School

Danae Stone – Central High School

Daniel Mejia – Burke High School

Deisy Cisneros Mondragon – Central High School

Derek Brewer – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Diego Mujica – Central High School

Donato Cruz – Central High School

Eje Kim – Lincoln East High School

Eleanor Caughlin – Central High School

Elias Godinez Chan – Burke High School

Elmina Balas – Lincoln High School

Emiliano Acuna Flores – Burke High School

Emily Fernando – Central High School

Emily Samantha Dieguez – Burke High School

Enrique Gonzalez Martinez – Burke High School

Erika Espinoza-Yanez – Central High School

Faith Mbwengie – Central High School

Fernando Gonzalez Juarez – Gering High School

Gabriel Chacon-Martinez – Lincoln High School

Gabriel Covarrubias – Exeter Milligan Friend High School

Gabriel Zavala Castro – Superior Sr High School

Gabriela Lopez – Central High School

Gabrielle Gurnicz – Central High School

Gavin Vernon – Brownell Talbot High School

Genesis Ortiz Acevedo – Burke High School

Georgina Diaz Perez – Burke High School

Giancarlo Bernal-Marin – Central High School

Gowtham Sathi – Millard North High School

Grace Schafer – Lincoln Southeast High School

Graham Byarlay – Lincoln Southeast High School

Griselda Guadalupe Lopez-Lopez – Central High School

Harper Wold-Smith – Lincoln High School High School

Helena Zibar – Lincoln High School High School

Hellen Jordan Salguero – Central High School

Holden Kutash – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Hugh Skretta – Lincoln High School

Iris Pleskac-Clinch – Lincoln High School

Isabel Vizuete – Westview High School

Jaxon Fittje – Lincoln Southeast High School

Jaxson Pigg – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Jennifer Denize – Central High School

Jeremy Rodriguez-Padron – Lexington High School

Jessica Riz-Lindo – Grand Island Senior High School

Joaquim Tapimo Kampta – Lincoln High School

Joselyn Ambrosio – Burke High School

Joseph Mirmiran – Central High School

Joshua Morgan – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Joshua Shapiro – Central High School

Joslyn Morgan – Lincoln Southeast High School

Julia Runge – Lincoln High School

Kade Musgrove – Lincoln Southeast High School

Kamilla Menjivar – Buena Vista High School

Kate Ost – Lincoln East High School

Katheryn Nolazco Guilarte – Grand Island Senior High School

Katie Guardado Franco – Westside High School

Katie Sykora – Millard North High School

Katryn Lathrum – Burke High School

Kayli Monasterio – West Holt High School

Keily Lopez Lopez – Grand Island Senior High School

Kelly Perez – Buena Vista High School

Kellyn Paul – Lincoln High School

Kristina Gevorkova – Lincoln Southeast High School

Lawson Scheppers – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Lily Deitering – Lincoln Southeast High School

Lily Tran – Lincoln High School

Lindsey Landis – Exeter Milligan Friend High School

Liv Everett – Lincoln High School

Lucas Cervantes Garcia – Lincoln Southeast High School

Mackenzie Grace Simpson – Central High School

Madeleine Painter – Lincoln High School

Madeline Spreeman – Bishop Neumann High School

Madelyn Perez Molina – Grand Island Senior High School

Madilynn Mullen – Paxton High School

Magdalene Conley – Central High School

Marely Ramirez Reyna – Central High School

Maria Andres – Central High School

Mariah Gonzalaus – Central High School

Marie Fobben – Lincoln Southeast High School

Marisol Velasquez Ramos – Central High School

Marlene Aguilar – Gering High School

Marley June Perdomo – Lincoln Southeast High School

Mason Gabrie – Central High School

Mayah Strauss – Central High School

Meha Majhail – Millard North High School

Meher Mahl – Millard North High School

Melani Palma – Central High School

Melina Perez Gonzales – Grand Island Senior High School

Micaela Lopez-Bautista – Central High School

Mike Juarez Blanco – Central High School

Moises Torres – Burke High School

Morgan Gniffke-Leak – Central High School

Morgan Goettsch – Lincoln Southeast High School

Morgan Mitchell – West Holt High School

Morgan Schaaf – West Holt High School

Nahomy Moreno Tornez – Central High School

Nancy Ramos Escobar – Central High School

Natalia Iglesias Alarcon – Grand Island Senior High School

Nathan Mullin – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Nena Huynh – Lincoln High School

Nic Rojas – Lincoln High School

Nicholas Gonzalez – Mullen Public Schools

Noah Stricklett – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Nya Curtis – Millard North High School

Oliver Beals – Central High School

Ollie Riggins – Lincoln High School

Oscar Garcia Aramburo – Hasting Senior High School

Paola Verdin – Central High School

Peter Foss – Lincoln High School

Peyton Olberding – West Holt High School

Raquel Miranda – Central High School

Richard Aguilar Lorenzo – Central High School

Ridhvi Nayakwadi – Millard North High School

Ruby  Torres Lopez – Gering High School

Ruihan Jiang – Lincoln Northwest High School

Salvador Tobias Serrano – Burke High School

Sam Sulzle – Lincoln Northwest High School

Samantha Le – Millard North High School

Sarah Paisley – Bishop Neumann High School

Saul Perez-Degante – Buena Vista High School

Scarlett Taylor – Central High School

Sean Butler – Lincoln High School

Serena Totinon – Lincoln High School

Simon Luu – Lincoln High School

Sophia Meismer – Millard North High School

Stacey Perez Alas – Buena Vista High School

Stephania Khalimonchuk – Lincoln High School

Stephanie Espino – Burke High School

TG Su – Brownell Talbot High School

Taylor Schaaf – West Holt High School

Tennyson Kelsay – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Tisha Borle – Millard North High School

Tryston May – Lincoln High School

Ursula Aggens – Lincoln High School

Valentina Donovick – Lincoln High School

Victor Alexander Ixcot Bautista – Westside High School

Will Coughlin – Creighton Preparatory School

Xavier Zimmerman – Mt Michael Benedictine High School

Yaireth Peralta-Morales – Central High School

Yamileth Zacarias Valente – Central High School

Yoselin Lindo-Morente – Grand Island Senior High School

Zoe Fischer – Central High School

Zoe Weber – Lincoln High School

Zoey Long – Lincoln High School

Zurisadai Gomez Cotom – Grand Island Senior High School

More information about the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy can be found online at: www.education.ne.gov/worldlanguage/nebraska-seal-of-biliteracy.

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