Top Graduates From Riverside County Public High Schools Honored

When Maria Selene Castillo was honored at the Riverside County Office of Education’s Student Academic Awards in 2019 as one of the top graduating students in Riverside County, the recognition activated a sense of pride and belonging in the Desert Mirage High School student when she confidently stepped on campus as a college freshman at the University of Southern California that fall. “The award reminded me that I was not only prepared academically, but that I carried the support and strength of my community with me. That recognition helped me step into a new environment, knowing I had earned my place there,” Castillo said in 2026. After graduating from college, she returned to the Coachella Valley Unified School District and now serves as the Public Information Officer. A total of 166 outstanding students, like Maria Selene Castillo from the class of 2026, were honored at the 20th Annual Riverside County Student Academic Awards on Tuesday, April 21, for their extraordinary accomplishments during their thirteen years as students in Riverside County’s public schools. More than 32,000 seniors will graduate from Riverside County high schools in the class of 2026, and these students represent the top of the class. “These students are living proof of the Riverside County Office of Education pledge that ensures our graduates are prepared for college, the workforce, and civic responsibility,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez. “These top scholars and leaders are a shining example of why the future is bright for our region, state, and nation.” More than 650 parents, principals, trustees, and superintendents gathered to celebrate the graduating students' academic achievements. Based on their enrollment in grades 9-12, each high school was asked to select between one and three top students. Each school district established its own selection criteria, which included consideration of student grade-point averages, class rankings, extracurricular activities, community service, and other factors.   Beyond honoring the top graduating seniors from each high school in the county, one student from 18 different districts was recognized as a 2026 Riverside County Exceptional Graduate Award recipient. Each individual received a $1,000 scholarship, which will be sent to the post-secondary educational institution they plan to attend after high school. 2026 Riverside County Exceptional Graduate Award and Scholarship Recipients · Darian Noghani, Hillcrest High School, Alvord USD · Jasmine Verduzco, New Horizon High School, Banning USD · Christopher Valero, Beaumont Middle College High School, Beaumont USD · Larry Pozar Basilio, West Shores High School, Coachella Valley USD · Hannah Gbondo, Santiago High School, Corona-Norco USD · Rushil Ladhawala, Palm Desert High School, Desert Sands USD · Raef Johnson, Hemet High School, Hemet USD · Denise Muñoz, Jurupa Valley High School, Jurupa USD · Cassandra Caluag, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD · Yaniah Gamboa, Moreno Valley High School, Moreno Valley USD · Christina Fayad, Murrieta Mesa High School, Murrieta Valley USD · Joel Ruiz, Desert Hot Springs High School, Palm Springs USD · Ariel Moreno, Palo Verde High School, Palo Verde USD · Daisy Casas Chavez, Perris High School, Perris Union HSD · Emanuel Garcia, Ramona High School, Riverside USD · Turner Daudert, San Jacinto Leadership Academy, San Jacinto USD · Lila Deinhammer, Temecula Valley High School, Temecula Valley USD · Bayann Jadallah, Citrus Hill High School, Val Verde USD Full List of Student Academic Award Honorees from the Class of 2026 in Riverside County Public High Schools ALVORD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Arzo Jahani, Alvord High School Savina La Grass, Hillcrest High School Darian Noghani, Hillcrest High School Antonio Tafolla Boyzo, Mission View High School Leslie Hernandez, Norte Vista High School Aimme Villegas, Norte Vista High School   BANNING UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Mary Britto, Banning High School Luke Yang, Banning High School Paloma Martinez, Banning Independent Study School Jasmine Verduzco, New Horizon High School BEAUMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Liliana Perez, 21st Century Learning Institute Prandon Arrogante, Beaumont High School Maya Barber, Beaumont High School Allison Chase, Beaumont High School Christopher Valero, Beaumont Middle College High School Dylan Smith, Glen View High School   COACHELLA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Ariadna Gonzalez Arias, Coachella Valley High School Jovanny Lopez-Ramirez, Coachella Valley High School Matthew Sanchez, Coachella Valley High School Erik Huerta, Desert Mirage High School Kenia Reynoso-Ibarra, Desert Mirage High School Larry Pozar Basilio, West Shores High School   CORONA-NORCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Nimmer Kaur, Centennial High School Clara Nguyen, Centennial High School Aria Panjabi, Centennial High School Thomas Bandy, Corona High School Sarah Farahmand, Corona High School Lara Randhawa, Corona High School Nichole Sun, Eastvale STEM Academy Dheeksha Reddy Parkuru, Eleanor Roosevelt High School Jason Sun, Eleanor Roosevelt High School Ruiqi Zhang, Eleanor Roosevelt High School Peyton Zimmerman, John F. Kennedy Middle College High School Joseph Barrios, Lee V. Pollard High School Maci Heath, Norco High School Lauren Woodcock, Norco High School Ellie Byun, Santiago High School Hannah Gbondo, Santiago High School Shravya Reddivari, Santiago High School   DESERT SANDS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Jolina Munoz, Amistad High School Lorena Magaña, Indio High School Flor Perez-Mendoza, Indio High School Leslie Grimaldo, La Quinta High School Gabriella Reyes, La Quinta High School Camila Tafoya, La Quinta High School Nadia Frutkin, Palm Desert High School Rushil Ladhawala, Palm Desert High School Ariel Sanford, Palm Desert High School Emma Aguilar, Shadow Hills High School Lorenzo Uriarte, Shadow Hills High School   HEMET UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Heidi Nguyen, Academy of Innovation Daisy Campa, Alessandro High School Skyy Vollan, Hamilton High School Raef Johnson, Hemet High School Cailyn Lopez, Hemet High School Natalie Lovett-Jensen, Hemet High School Ellie Ballard, Tahquitz High School Johnson Banh, Tahquitz High School Lilly Hanley, West Valley High School Lyndon Mendoza, West Valley High School Tenzing Carvalho, Western Center Academy   JURUPA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Denisse Muñoz, Jurupa Valley High School Maya Isabel Alba-Velazquez, Jurupa Valley High School Midyely Mora Rodriguez, Nueva Vista High School Kimberly Le, Patriot High School Nels Lyman, Patriot High School Viviana Marroquin, Patriot High School Vivian Aceves-Cervantez, Rubidoux High School Jaelyne Romero, Rubidoux High School   LAKE ELSINORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Kimberly Garcia, Elsinore High School Autumn Williams, Elsinore High School Jimena Obregon Fuentes, Keith McCarthy Academy Darius Fields, Lakeside High School Giselle Zapot, Lakeside High School Alyssa Day, Ortega High School Cassandra Caluag, Temescal Canyon High School Anthony Carmona, Temescal Canyon High School Lucas Pearce, Temescal Canyon High School   MORENO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Pricilla Cervantes, Bayside Community Day School Celeste De Lucia, Canyon Springs High School Nina Echevarria, Canyon Springs High School Diego Ruiz, Canyon Springs High School Leslie Valdapenas-Velis, March Mountain High School Yaniah Gamboa, Moreno Valley High School Greysi Gonzalez, Moreno Valley High School Janessa Paz, Moreno Valley High School Sarai Palomino, Moreno Valley Online Academy Shawn Jones, Valley View High School Shayla Luong, Valley View High School David Zaragoza-Quezada, Valley View High School Jayden Miguel Najera, Vista del Lago High School Sophia Torres, Vista del Lago High School   MURRIETA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Christina Fayad, Murrieta Mesa High School Abigail Hughes, Murrieta Mesa High School Orley Weaver, Murrieta Mesa High School Noah Agrelius, Murrieta Valley High School Isabella Heredia, Murrieta Valley High School Ellias Nozawa, Murrieta Valley High School Ava Arreola, Vista Murrieta High School Christopher Lee, Vista Murrieta High School Justin Potter, Vista Murrieta High School   PALM SPRINGS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Sofia Hernandez, Cathedral City High School Yuridia Jimenez, Cathedral City High School Alonso Castaneda, Desert Hot Springs High School Joel Ruiz, Desert Hot Springs High School Desman Garcia, Mt. San Jacinto High School Phoebe Goehring, Palm Springs High School Zoe Gray, Palm Springs High School Malachi Davis, Rancho Mirage High School Carlos Garcia, Rancho Mirage High School   PALO VERDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Ariel Moreno, Palo Verde High School   PERRIS UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT Rose Chavez, California Military Institute Ernesto Mejia Jr., California Military Institute Micah Alviola, Heritage High School Aileen Osio, Heritage High School Jun Shuo Yang, Heritage High School Arienna Ama, Liberty High School Jayden Torres, Liberty High School Ceren Yilmaz, Liberty High School Dang Khoa Dao, Paloma Valley High School Miley Lundstrom, Paloma Valley High School Kaliah Salazar Cataluna, Paloma Valley High School Daisy Casas Chavez, Perris High School Salvador Ramirez, Perris High School   RIVERSIDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Basem Benyamin, Arlington High School Helen Yasey, Arlington High School Caitlyn Cohen, John W. North High School David Santiago, John W. North High School Ubaid Awan, Martin Luther King High School Marc Gonzalez, Martin Luther King High School Kaden Ren, Martin Luther King High School Emanuel Garcia, Ramona High School Elsa Mendoza, Ramona High School Ashley Rodriguez Maldonado, Ramona High School Anna Beran, Riverside Polytechnic High School Caleb Vera, Riverside Polytechnic High School Finn Vierra-Redden, Riverside Polytechnic High School Zoe Martinez, Riverside STEM Academy Juan Rivera, Riverside Virtual School   SAN JACINTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Karen Alvarenga Quiroz, Mountain Heights Academy Isabelle Millan, Mountain View High School Erik Diaz, San Jacinto High School Raven Volrie, San Jacinto High School Turner Daudert, San Jacinto Leadership Academy Kayla Nealey Bojorquez, San Jacinto Middle College High School   TEMECULA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Christopher Persechini, Chaparral High School Justin Tran, Chaparral High School Tony Yang, Chaparral High School Divyamsu Nallamothu, Great Oak High School Chloe Tan, Great Oak High School Charles Zhang, Great Oak High School Gena Amanonce, Rancho Vista High School Lucie Hoang, Susan Nelson High School Lila Deinhammer, Temecula Valley High School Jordan Marlbrough, Temecula Valley High School Rocco Sheridan, Temecula Valley High School   VAL VERDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Dalia Benitez, Citrus Hill High School Bayann Jadallah, Citrus Hill High School Armando Alfaro, Orange Vista High School Dayanara Basurto, Orange Vista High School Andrew Sanchez, Orange Vista High School Adam Padua, Rancho Verde High School Johnathan Rodgers, Rancho Verde High School Vianca Villena, Rancho Verde High School Jasmine Noriega, Val Verde Academy Hayden Hanson, Val Verde High School