PLAINFIELD, IL — Ninety-three seniors at all four Plainfield high schools earned the State of Illinois Seal of Biliteracy this year, demonstrating a high level of proficiency in English while also reading, writing, listening and speaking at least one other language.
"The seal serves as a state-validated industry credential for students entering trade or technical fields," Cindy Castanon, director of multilingual education, said in a statement. "It gives graduates a distinct competitive edge with employers who value verified language skills in fields like healthcare, business, and technology, often leading to immediate job placement."
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Fifty students from all four high schools also earned a new designation created this year, the State Commendation Toward Biliteracy, honoring students who have demonstrated significant progress toward achieving Biliteracy.
Earning either award not only recognizes academic achievement but also has positive financial and career implications. Public colleges and universities award college credit to those who earn the seal, which can potentially save on tuition costs and fast-track a college minor, Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 said in a news release.
These 2026 graduates received the distinction:
Plainfield Central High School
Seal of Biliteracy
- Cesar Arciniega, Spanish
- Camila De La Torre, Spanish
- Emma Degrado, American Sign Language
- Santiago Delgado Salinas, Spanish
- Briana Dorantes Ortiz, Spanish
- Elizabeth Gadzinski, American Sign Language
- Gabrielle Hanson, American Sign Language
- Atlas (Kylie) Heumann, American Sign Language
- Alyssa Ignasak, American Sign Language
- Johanna Landeros, Spanish
- Lillie McMillan, American Sign Language
- Rose Ndegoe Pelamie, French
- Ariana Paskar, Russian
- Isabel Ramirez, Spanish
- Briana Ramirez, Spanish
- Abril Reyes Rodriguez, Spanish
- Brooke Richter, American Sign Language
- Grayson Smolar, American Sign Language
- Linda Tamayo, Spanish
- Jonathan Van Ham, American Sign Language
- Suin Jung, Korean
State Commendation Toward Biliteracy
- Sara Rehman, Spanish
- Thomas Renzas, American Sign Language
- Jennifer Villa Castellanos, Spanish
- Hayden Wendt, French
- Addison Zitello, Spanish
Plainfield South High School
Seal of Biliteracy
- Jocelyn Almanzan, Spanish
- Kamryn Cook, American Sign Language
- Katelyn Dejesus, Spanish
- Diana Hernandez, Spanish
- Amanda Johnson, American Sign Language
- Sergio Martinez, Spanish
- Clara Poker, American Sign Language
- Arianna Stewart, French
- Andrea Tavares, Spanish
- Vanessa Zenteno, Spanish
State Commendation Toward Biliteracy
- Miriam Cortez, French and Spanish
- Julianne Dunmore, Spanish
- Caroline Jankowski, French
- Ashley Clark, Spanish
- Isabella Piraino, American Sign Language
Plainfield North High School
Seal of Biliteracy
- Haidarah Al-Shaheen, Arabic
- Whitney Andre, American Sign Language
- Izabella Arroyo, Spanish
- Madison Bowers, Spanish
- Blakely Buckmeier, American Sign Language
- Simran Chaudhary, Spanish
- Donovan Culver, American Sign Language
- Charlotte Easton, American Sign Language
- Jada Emeto, American Sign Language
- Isabella Fletcher, Spanish
- Bianca Flores, Spanish
- Alyssa Gnadt, American Sign Language
- Alexa Gracia, Spanish
- Joseph Jezuit, Spanish
- Vanessa Li, Chinese
- Vanessa Longly, American Sign Language
- Jacqueline Lopez, Spanish
- Mia Michaelis, American Sign Language
- Jacqueline Murillo, Spanish
- Madison Nero, Spanish
- Jocelyn Noble, American Sign Language
- Ifeoluwa Olanrewaju, American Sign Language
- Austin Pavlik, American Sign Language
- Casey Pavlik, American Sign Language
- Madelyn Potts, American Sign Language
- Lily Pyatt, Spanish
- Tessa Russo, American Sign Language
- Campbell Sugrue, Spanish
- Sydney Sullivan, American Sign Language
- Brooke Vantine, American Sign Language
- Hailey Visser, American Sign Language
- Hiroshi Yanajara, Spanish
- Halim Zaki, Spanish
State Commendation Toward Biliteracy
- Shiloh Adams, Spanish
- Lily Allen, German
- Patricia Botnari, Spanish
- Ashley Elliot, Spanish
- Naran Erkhembileg, American Sign Language
- Kaiser Fechner, German
- Sebastian Gonzalez, Spanish
- Ved Gursahani, Spanish
- Tahir Hafeez, American Sign Language
- Malachi Hennignsgaard, Spanish
- Madeline Jablonski, American Sign Language
- Kaitlin Lee, Chinese
- Abagail Mayes, American Sign Language
- Berit Mores, German
- Ariana Olivares, Spanish
- Emeline Paciero, French
- Jai Patel, Spanish
- Akshayaa Raj, American Sign Language
- Allison Richards, American Sign Language
- Samuel Tota, Spanish
- Alexandra Tsikouris, American Sign Language
- Naren Vikram, Spanish
- Kaliah Dolph, American Sign Language
Plainfield East High School
Seal of Biliteracy
- Tishma Ahmed, Spanish
- Loretta Baltrum, Spanish
- Emma Bramwell, American Sign Language
- Isabelle Bustamante-Lopez, Spanish
- Sophia Cain, Spanish
- Mia Carpio, Spanish
- Taylor Cyranek, American Sign Language
- Colin Dominiak, German
- Janet Duran-Manzo, Spanish
- Kyleah Edison, Spanish
- Ian Flores, Spanish
- Leah Gothelf, Spanish
- Madeline Gothelf, Spanish
- Jamrya Hodge, Spanish
- Camila Jimenez, Spanish
- Zoe Lee, Spanish
- Natalie Limias, Spanish
- Aliana Lopez Gomez, Spanish
- Samia Mohiuddin, Spanish
- Saadia Musani, Spanish
- Isabella Nuez, Spanish
- Kaelynn Romo, Spanish
- Emilia Sanchez Tamayo, Spanish
- Gabriella Schemidt, Spanish
- Olivia Seeley, American Sign Language
- Rishi Shah, Spanish
- Jackeline Valencia, Spanish
- Gibran Vargas, Spanish
- Aleena Yousuf, Spanish
State Commendation Toward Biliteracy
- Ameena Ahmed, Spanish
- Niko Bahena, Spanish
- Mila Bosevska, Spanish
- Raegan Boyles, American Sign Language
- Heather Bunker, American Sign Language
- Mason Cachur, American Sign Language
- Autumn Emeric, Spanish
- Danna Gonzalez, Spanish
- Chris Nathaniel Morales, Spanish
- Haylen Nguyen, Spanish
- Alaina Nino, Spanish
- Tristan Patel, German, Italian, and Spanish
- Jillian Petkus, American Sign Language
- Savannah Robertson, American Sign Language
- Jackeline Valencia, American Sign Language
- Vilandy Zacarias, Spanish
- Jeronimo Velasquez Isaza, Spanish