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.