Texas CWS gives NHI students a rare twofold college experience, preparing them for the future

One of the benefits of participating in an NHI program is experiencing living and learning on a college campus — especially at the Collegiate World Series, where participants focus on college. Students at the 2026 Texas CWS program got the rare opportunity to do that at two different universities this year. 

While the University of St. Thomas resumed its role as host for much of the programming over the five days, the Houston-bound students also experienced life on campus at Rice University, which provided housing for this edition of the Texas CWS. 

“The Texas CWS continues to grow in popularity and a destination for universities to meet with our NHIers,” said Marc Nieto, educational director for the program. “This year, we had 15 universities participating in the Texas CWS. Our participants shared an amazing experience between UST and Rice University.” 

The Collegiate World Series, better known to NHIers as the CWS, brings students together for two competitions held over a single five-day program. The first of those, the League Series, features representatives from universities and liberal arts colleges belonging to NHI’s College Register coaching teams of students. The students were assigned to the following schools, learning their lore while learning about the college application process: 

• Austin College
• Baylor University
• Bucknell University
• Case Western Reserve University
• Colorado State University
• George Washington University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Regis University
• Schreiner University 
• Southwestern University
• St Mary’s University
• Trinity University
• Vanderbilt University

The second (called the Thought Series) reconfigures the students on different teams; they are then introduced to inquiry-based learning (IBL) and participate in exercises that help them carry this concept into college and beyond. 

“I have been describing the CWS to a lot of people that this was the absolute perfect ending to my NHI experience,” said Hana Baker-Paz of Bay Area Christian School in League City, Texas, who was MVP for the Vanderbilt University team. “I feel very prepared now applying to colleges, as well as what I’ve learned through NHI and what I’ve learned through Ernesto Nieto’s book Third Reality, being able to tie together those perspectives that I’ve learned, those ideas in NHI, to my beliefs and my ideas.”

Baker-Paz added that the program gave her a better sense of who she wants to be as a college student and as an adult. Being on the Vanderbilt team inspired her to make the Nashville-based university one of her top choices despite focusing on schools in Texas.

“He represented his school so well,” she said of Vanderbilt’s rep. “He was very open to us asking questions that I feel like many people don’t want high school students to ask … But he was very real. He really wanted us there, and honestly, it felt like I wasn’t really talking to a college recruiter, but almost somebody I knew.” He added that although he was clearly looking for good candidates to go to Vanderbilt, “He wanted to help us in any way that he could, getting into any type of university.” 

Ricardo Marroquin, from YES Prep East End in Houston, Texas, was part of the Thought Series winning team, and although he was familiar with inquiry-based learning prior to the program, he valued what CWS taught him. 

“We just took it like a step further from I was doing beforehand,” he said. “It was educational and informative for me.” 

While Natalia Castro of Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas, was new to the concept, she did well enough with it to be named a Thought Series Major Leaguer. 

“Honestly, it was pretty difficult, just a very new concept to grasp,” she said. “But I think as time went on, I definitely learned more about it. Especially with my peers, we all were working through understanding it … it definitely makes a lot more sense now. It was just one of those things where you learn it through actually working through it.

“I definitely want to incorporate it into my life,” she added. “I definitely don’t want it to just be something I did and then forget about it. I see how it’s a very good process for making decisions and to make fully formed opinions.” 

2026 Texas CWS Award Winners

The League Series champions, representing Vanderbilt University, included:

• Andrea Abejuela, Incarnate Word High School, San Antonio, Texas 
• Koi Allridge, Uplift Summit International Preparatory, Arlington, Texas 
• Hana Baker-Paz, Bay Area Christian School, League City, Texas
• Emelia Caldera, Mathis High School, Mathis, Texas
• Alberto Gálvez, Colegio Científico Tecnológico Einstein, San Antonio Suchitepéquez, Guatemala
• Isabelle Gately, Summer Creek High School, Houston, Texas 
• Rugi Gueda, DePaul Cristo Rey, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Leandron Hernandez, Mathis High School, Mathis, Texas 
• Carlos Ramírez, PrepaTec, León, México
• Sophia Saenz, Mathis High School, Mathis, Texas 

League Series MVPs included:

• Austin College: Juan Ortiz, Colegio Miraflores, León, México
• Baylor University: Angel Sarmiento, Highland Park High School, Dallas, Texas 
• Bucknell University: Zachary Silva, Jubilee Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas
• Case Western Reserve University: Kailey Archer, Sandra Day O’Connor High School, Helotes, Texas
• Colorado State University: Layra Molina, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, México
• George Washington University: Nicole Kock, TMI Episcopal, San Antonio, Texas 
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Hayden Ayala, Cotulla High School, Cotulla, Texas 
• Regis University: Amanda Muro, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, México
• Schreiner University: Christian Jackson, Karen Wagner High School, San Antonio, Texas 
• Southwestern University: Amelia Alvarado, Mathis High School, Mathis, Texas 
• St Mary’s University: Elena Metoyer, Atascocita High School, Humble, Texas 
• Trinity University: Alessandra Scott, Lakewood High School, Lakewood, California
• Vanderbilt University: Hana Baker-Paz, Bay Area Christian School, League City, Texas

The Thought Series champions included: 

• Amy Castrejon Cortez, Highland Park High School, Dallas, Texas 
• Xienna Garza, McAllen High School, McAllen, Texas 
• Isabelle Gately, Summer Creek High School, Houston, Texas 
• Tarrant Golding, Mathis High School, Mathis, Texas 
• Israel Gonzalez, Jubilee Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas
• Ricardo Marroquin, YES Prep East End, Houston, Texas 
• Cami Mendez, Cornerstone Christian School, San Antonio, Texas 
• Layra Molina, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, México
• Amy Schutte, Jubilee San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 
• Katie Tamez, IDEA McAllen, McAllen, Texas 

Thought Series Major Leaguers included: 

• Amelia Alvarado, Mathis High School, Mathis, Texas 
• Natalia Castro, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, Houston, Texas
• Eleni Coronado, Colegio Americano de Torreón, Torreón, México
• Jayleana DaLessio, Muhlenberg High School, Reading, Pennsylvania 
• Xienna Garza, McAllen High School, McAllen, Texas 
• Bryce Leal, Mathis High School, Mathis, Texas 
• Gracie Martinez, TMI Episcopal, San Antonio, Texas
• Mirella Mateo, Phoenix Country Day School, Paradise Valley, Arizona
• Brooklyn Kuenstler, Cotulla High School, Cotulla, Texas 
• Olivia Olivarez, Weslaco High School, Weslaco, Texas 
• Alexa Olvera, Donna North High School, Donna, Texas 
• Alyssa Pierce, Rancho Cucamonga High School, Rancho Cucamonga, California

The 2026 Texas CWS is made possible in part by support from the Bezos Family Foundation and State Farm.