East Texas A&M University alumna Dr. Rocio Almanza has earned the 2026 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), a national organization dedicated to advancing educational excellence for bilingual and multilingual learners.

Almanza, who completed her Doctor of Education in Supervision, Curriculum and Instruction at East Texas A&M in 2024, received the award for her dissertation examining how bilingual kindergarten teachers use translanguaging to promote student engagement, biliteracy and critical consciousness in the classroom.

The national recognition builds on earlier honors for the research. In 2025, Almanza earned second place in the Dissertation of the Year competition from the Texas Association for Bilingual Educators.

Currently a bilingual kindergarten teacher in Mesquite ISD, Almanza said the award reflects both the importance of the research and the people who made it possible.

“Receiving the NABE award was an incredible honor and recognition of the significance of my work in the field of education and the support I received from Dr. Sherri Colby and Dr. Alexandra Babino,” Almanza said. “As a sequential bilingual who learned to navigate a new educational system and a new language as a teen, my confidence as a writer was nonexistent.”

Almanza also dedicated the recognition to the teachers who participated in her study.

“I was able to bear witness to their dedication, acompañamiento and commitment to biliteracy,” she said. “The NABE award is not simply a prestigious recognition but a platform to continue researching and writing.”

The dissertation was completed under the guidance of East Texas A&M faculty members Colby and Babino. Almanza's achievement highlights the impact of research conducted through the university's doctoral programs and the contributions East Texas A&M graduates are making in classrooms and communities across the nation.