NHI honors 2025 High School Officials of the Year, High School of the Year, School District of the Year, and University of the Year

Drawing upon a tradition that harkens back to the National Hispanic Institute’s annual awards accompanying the annual Celebración event, we’re pleased to announce the latest round of honorees for 2025. Though the award winners have made consistent contributions to NHI over the years, they distinguished themselves in 2025 as especially valuable in advancing NHI’s mission, nominated by NHI staff members, board members, and volunteers. 

In this second of two stories on NHIMagazine.com, we recognize winners of the High School Officials of the Year, High School of the Year, School District of the Year, and University of the Year. 

You can also read more about the winners of the High School Student of the Year, two College Students of the Year, and the Citation of Merit awards. 

Dr. Melissa Meza Melkonian and Elba de Leon, The American Dream School (Bronx, N.Y.) 

High School Officials of the Year

Dr. Melissa Meza Melkonian, founder and head of The American Dream School, believes so strongly in NHI programs that she gets directly involved in fundraising for tuition — 26.2 miles at a time.

Through its partnership with New York Road Runners, her school gets five annual entries for the New York City Marathon – spots she describes as “coveted,” and which anchor staff efforts to help cover tuition costs for their students to participate in NHI programs. 

“The difference between students who go to NHI and those who don’t is this unwavering work ethic,” she said of American Dream students who have gone to programs. “They’re not going to stop, and they also come back and try and encourage others to do better … it’s the advocacy about future prospects and what programs like this can do for them … experiencing life and campuses and living with other students.” 

Elba de Leon, the school’s counselor, notes that even though American Dream is relatively new to NHI — first sending students to programs in 2024 — it’s becoming an indelible part of the school’s fabric. 

“They feel that NHI is just not about going away and learning more skills … but also to get them exposed and experience how it feels to debate, to give their own opinion on something … and how also to advocate for themselves,” she said. “They also network with other kids, and they love that.” 

Colegio Ignacio Zaragoza (Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico)

High School of the Year

In 2019, NHI brought a Great Debate program to Arkansas State University Campus Querétaro, and that sparked Colegio Ignacio Zaragoza to become involved with the organization. Despite the disruption caused by a global pandemic the following year, the Saltillo school has remained invested in sending its students to NHI programs — in large part because the school sees its mission aligned with NHI’s. 

“What we want is to form the young leaders of tomorrow. And I believe that that’s the common core that we have with NHI,” said Pablo Enrique Lopez Mijares, the Languages and Interculturality Coordinator at Colegio Ignacio Zaragoza. “Of course, giving them an opportunity to develop communication skills is great, but forming young leaders, it’s everything that we want for tomorrow.” 

During the initial year of participation, the school sent 22 students to the Great Debate event; last year, the school reached a high-water mark of 27 students participating in multiple programs in 2025, including the California Sol Great Debate and at the LDZ and CWS tiers — and may end up sending more students to programs in 2026. 

“They changed in all different areas,” he said of students who have been to NHI programs. “The human side, academic side, and socially.” 

He’s particularly impressed that they acquire “a great variety of tools to improve communication skills … but also to investigate better, to prepare themselves better for any type of presentation. Right now, students go back to school, and I can tell you that they take over the stage whenever they have a chance. 

“Some of them become great leaders … and they take over those different spots that require any type of leadership,” he added. “They become more confident. You see them around, talking to anyone … and even in their own families, their parents always give us some feedback on how their children do, and they say, ‘You returned to me a very different person.’”

Gadsden ISD (Sunland Park, N.M.)

School District of the Year

“Bridging Borders, Building Futures, Inspiring Excellence” is the motto of Gadsden ISD, located in New Mexico near its border with Texas just a short drive from El Paso. According to its website, the school district’s long, complex history intertwines “two nations, three states and four counties com[ing] together for the good of the children,” built up thanks to legislation in 1872 that allowed schools to be built in New Mexico — whereas, just a quarter century earlier, there was just one public school in the entire state. 

Since the Dennis Chavez New Mexico LDZ’s return in 2022, 57 students from Gadsden ISD have participated, including all five schools within the Gadsden district: Alta Vista Early College High School, Chaparral High School, Santa Teresa High School, and Gadsden High School.

Gadsden ISD annually celebrates several remarkable accomplishments among its students. Antonio Martinez and Angel Hernandez from Alta Vista Early College High School were elected as the 2025 Dennis Chavez LDZ Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively. Alonzo Barraza from Alta Vista Early College High School was named MVP at the CWS, and Jesus del Real from Gadsden High School authored and successfully passed the National Heritage Enhancement Act. Additionally, between 2022 and 2025, awards were given to Ramon Enriquez for Outstanding Legislator and also as a Dennis Chavez Scholar for Community Engagement, Johnny Nunez for Top Attorney, Kimberley Nevarez for Most Promising Leader, Sol Dalilah Marquez for Cabinet member, Mia Rose for Most Persuasive Speaker, Emma Martinez for Most Persuasive, and Lilli Stiles-Mohammed for Supreme Court Justice.

“Gadsden ISD embodies the type of school district that NHI values collaborating with. There is strong support, recognition, and endorsement of NHI’s leadership programs from the board members, administrators, and counselors at every school. They serve as a model for how a focus on students fosters a culture of success,” states Gloria de Leon, co-founder of NHI, who is involved in expanding the NHI program to New Mexico.

NHI extends its gratitude to the GISD campus recruitment collaborators—Katherine Angel, Maria Legarreta, Maria Domingues, Gema Suggs, and Lucia Alvarez—for their support in promoting the program. NHI also thanks district officials, including Acting Superintendent Nubia Tarazona, and School Board President Christina Lira. 

Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.) 

University of the Year

Augustana College has long been home to the Midwest Great Debate, one of NHI’s foundational first-year programs. In 2025, when planning a Midwest-based National LDZ, organizers gave Augustana the chance to make a bit of history — by hosting two programs back-to-back while spanning the Independence Day holiday. 

“When NHI calls and they have a need, we’re going to listen,” said Dr. W. Kent Barnds, Augustana’s Executive Vice President for Strategy & Innovation and Vice President of Enrollment & Communication. “We’re going to see if we can accommodate them, and this was a circumstance where we wanted to be a good partner and open up our campus to the additional program.” 

Barnds was also excited to host LDZ students; after all, he points out it was an NHI alumnus attending Augustana who helped bring the college and organization to the table, and the National LDZ gave Augustana the chance to showcase itself. 

He remains perennially impressed by the caliber of young leaders NHI attracts. 

“I see the students show up for the opening event, whether they’re from Texas or they’re from the Chicagoland region or from Omaha, and I see students who are essentially showing up for their first job,” he said. “They’re ready to go, and they’re professional, and they’re locked in, and they’re focused, and we just really admire that.” 

“We remain committed to NHI,” he added. “We appreciate what they do, and consider them to be to be close friends, and remain delighted that they choose to come and make their home in July right here in Rock Island, Illinois.” 

Nicole Nieto, executive vice president of NHI, added, “Augustana has been a long-held tradition in the Midwest for NHI members, many of whom make the annual pilgrimage to develop the next generation of young leaders.  Without the help of Augustana’s Liz Nino, Kent Barndts, and our great, recently retired friend, Rita Gustafson, all of whom are incredibly dedicated to Augustana’s mission, we wouldn’t be able to change lives the way we do.”