Twenty-three Lincoln Public Schools students passed an important milestone on their pathways to becoming global citizens this spring.

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and Nebraska Languages Association (NEBLA) announced that students from Lincoln High, East, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest earned the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Award. They joined more than 300 other linguists from across the state who captured the honor.

Students had to display high-level proficiency in both English and at least one other world language to receive the award. They showcased skills in communication, cultures, connections, communities and cognition in a language other than English. Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Award recipients demonstrated proficiency in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Latin, Somali, Spanish and Ukrainian in the April 2026 cycle.

Nearly 90 universities across the nation have endorsed Seal of Biliteracy programs for high school students. The endorsements allow recipients to earn college credits for their multilingual talents. Many businesses and non-profit organizations in Nebraska and other states have also promoted Seal of Biliteracy efforts.

The following is a list of Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Award recipients from LPS. The list includes students whose families have provided permission for the NDE to release their names and LPS to release their names and photos.

April 2026 Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Recipients

Lincoln High: Henry Hill (Spanish), Keely Moore (Spanish), Phoebe Pierson (Spanish)

East High School: Andrea Hu (Chinese)

Northwest High School: Alex Hagen (Spanish), Colin Svoboda (Spanish), Kaitlyn Oberg (Spanish), Madison Muller (Spanish), Will Creed (German)

Southeast High School: Beatrix McKillip (Spanish), Berkley Byler (Spanish), Brayden Abbott (Spanish), Bronlyn Brening (Spanish), Brynn Morrissey (Spanish), Elayna Villegas (Spanish), Isaac Spader (Spanish), Keira Thurman (Spanish), Mattie Goettsch (Spanish), Norah Donahoe (Spanish), Piper Michaud (Spanish), Zazil Reckling (Spanish)

Southwest High School: Ethan Ruser-Pertusa (Spanish), Hamank’aya Garcia-Adame (Spanish)

LPS students earn Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy recognition