Port of Brownsville Awards Scholarships to 32 graduating seniors

The Brownsville Navigation District (BND) has awarded scholarships to 32 graduating high school seniors through the 2026 Port of Brownsville Scholarship Program, recognizing their academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to community service.

Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship upon enrollment in a college, university, or technical institution. Recipients were selected through a competitive process evaluating academic performance, extracurricular involvement, community engagement, work experience, and a submitted personal essay. The awardees represent 16 public and private high schools across the navigation district.

"Congratulations to the Class of 2026 on this important milestone," said Port Director and CEO William Dietrich. "The Port of Brownsville is proud to invest in the education and future success of our students, whose hard work, determination, and leadership will help shape the future of our region. We are honored to support the next generation as they pursue their academic and professional goals."

Established in 2020 by the BND Board of Commissioners, the Port of Brownsville Scholarship Program continues to expand its impact. To date, $224,000 has been awarded benefitting 224 students within the district.

The 32 graduating seniors eligible for the 2026 Port of Brownsville scholarships include:

Brownsville Independent

School District

Brownsville Early College High School

• Miranda I. Barber
• Vidal Garza

Hanna Early College High School

• Byanka Maldonado
• Kassandra Vidal

Lopez Early College High School

• Ashley Amaro
• Areli Cristal Escobedo

Pace Early College High School

• Fernando Mancilla
• Ana Valeria Solis

Porter Early College High School

• Clemente Arvizu
• Sophia Maral Jaramillo

Rivera Early College High School

• Jazlynn Juarez Barbosa
• Elaine Garces

Veterans Memorial Early College High School

• Iana Garcia
• Damian Medina

Harmony Public Schools

Harmony School of Innovation

• Laura O. Hernandez
• Laura Torres Sierra

Idea Public Schools

IDEA Brownsville College Preparatory

• Enrique Castilla
• Aungel A. Wellington

IDEA Frontier College Preparatory

• Caleb Alanis
• Jesus Robledo

IDEA Riverview College Preparatory

• Danna Paola Carranza
• Fernanda J. Navar

IDEA Sports Park College Preparatory

• Sebastian Gutierrez
• Jose Vega

Jubilee Academies

Jubilee Brownsville

• Valentina De La Garza
• Daniella Gonzalez Paez

Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District

Los Fresnos High School

• Myrna Chaidez
• Axel Retta

Saint Joseph Academy

• Allen Hobbs
• Sarah Magallanes

South Texas Independent

School District
South Texas ISD Medical Professions

• Gael Garcia
• Daniella Guerrero