La Promesa Earns 2026 Educators Rising National Grand Champion Title

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Twenty-three Aldine ISD students earn national honors while building the skills to lead tomorrow’s classrooms.

La Promesa students are preparing to lead tomorrow’s classrooms — and their national competition results show they are already making an impact.

Twenty-three students in the school’s Career and Technical Education Education/Teaching and Training Program earned multiple top placements at the 2026 Educators Rising National Conference, held during the summer in Portland, Oregon. Their success earned La Promesa the 2026 National Grand Champion title for receiving the highest overall number of awards across competition categories.

Competing in 11 categories, students presented projects in Spanish and English and demonstrated their instructional knowledge, creativity, communication skills, and commitment to the teaching profession.

“Every project began with a simple question: How can I help someone learn?” said María Zúñiga, teacher and sponsor of La Promesa’s CTE Education/Teaching and Training Program. “Our students answered it with confidence, creativity and heart. They did not just compete as future educators — they showed they are ready to lead.”

Students Earn Top National Honors

La Promesa students earned first-place awards in four competition areas, along with additional top-five finishes:

• Lesson Planning and Delivery — Spanish: Israel Salluca earned first place in junior varsity, and Dariana Velásquez earned first place in varsity.
• Children’s Literature Pre-K — Spanish: Melanie Valle and Melani Rico earned first place in junior varsity, while Regina Castillo Estrada and Esly Barralaga earned first place in varsity.
• Inside Our Schools — Spanish: Kieber Castillo, Camila Páez and Judith Alvizu earned first place in junior varsity. Josep Benítez, Alezka Graterol, Eileen Hyde and Julissa Martínez earned first place in varsity.
• Educators Rising Moment — Spanish: Marian González earned first place, and Cecilia Navarro earned second place in junior varsity.
• Children’s Literature K-3 — Spanish: Diana Medina and Emerson Membreno earned third place in junior varsity; Ana Arellano and Cecilia Ramírez earned fifth place in varsity.
• Interactive Bulletin Board: Génesis Miranda and Salia Caballero Pérez earned second place in the junior varsity competition.

*Details provided by the campus.

These accomplishments reflect the students’ preparation, teamwork, and dedication as they explore careers in education.

Preparing the Next Generation of Educators

Through Educators Rising, students design engaging lessons, strengthen public-speaking and communication skills, solve problems, collaborate with peers, and explore effective teaching strategies.

At La Promesa, students receive instructional guidance and personalized mentoring while developing projects and preparing for competition. They also gain practical experience through classroom observations and teaching opportunities in local schools.

The experience reflects Aldine ISD’s Accelerate strategic plan and Profile of a Graduate, which call on students to learn, navigate, and lead. By applying knowledge, communicating effectively, pursuing future opportunities and making a positive impact on others, these students are building the confidence and skills to shape future generations — one lesson at a time.

Celebrating Student Achievement

Earlier this fall, the Houston Area Chapter 0074 of Phi Delta Kappa International recognized the students during its Houston Area Chapter Scholarship Awards and Members Event, celebrating their accomplishments and potential as future educators.

The national recognition builds on La Promesa’s earlier success in qualifying for the competition, announced in March in the Aldine ISD story “La Promesa Students Qualify for National Future Educators Competition.”