PLEASANT HILL, CALIF. — The Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) will recognize 45 outstanding high school juniors and seniors during the 2026 Students of Excellence Awards, honoring exceptional achievement in Career Technical Education (CTE) and Regional Occupational Program (ROP) pathways.
Students represent 10 Contra Costa County school districts and 17 high schools. The ceremony will also recognize five students who completed the Early Childhood Educator Apprentice program, representing two school districts. More than 150 guests are expected to attend.
The event is on April 28 from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm at the Pleasant Hill Community Center (320 Civic Center Drive).
Acalanes Union HSD:
- Alex Knudsen, Julian Jackl, Kailey Cooper (Campolindo HS); Ashton Hamlin, Farah Abdelshahid (Las Lomas HS)
Albany USD:
- Timothy Kim, Albany High School
Antioch USD:
- Dominik Washington (Live Oak HS); Jacob Haro Rodriguez, Nicole Le (Dozier‑Libbey Medical HS)
Clayton Valley Charter HS:
- DJ Ramos, Forest Sarah Sinclair, Fiona Sahle
Contra Costa COE:
- Dakiraj Bolton, Floyd I. Marchus School
John Swett USD:
- Dulce Rebolledo, John Swett High School
Liberty Union HSD:
- Aaron Flogio, Elizabeth Lindsay, Tracie White (Freedom HS); Brody Iceman, Mason Peddy (Liberty HS)
Pittsburg USD:
- Alexander Tavares Ornelas, Emmanuel Jeremias Perez Gutierrez, Israel Zepeda Hernandez, Jazlyn Lemus‑Flores, Malani Henderson, Reymond Victoria, Yeucaittani Gonzalez (Pittsburg HS)
San Ramon Valley USD:
- Angeline Pang, Camryn Ornelas, Emma Garvin, Evan Ouach, Gabriel Buehler‑Robert, Isaac Hanley, Keerthi Eraniyan, Tyler Horvath (California HS); Addison Sales, Aiden Buragohain, Jack Choo, Jeannine Venzo, Kaitlyn Lohe, Rishi Tandon, Rohan Gandhi (Dougherty Valley HS); Nathan Ruedger, Claud Chung (Monte Vista HS)
West Contra Costa USD:
- Mona Alkahmi, Sylvester Greenwood Academy
Early Childhood Educator Apprentice Program
- Contra Costa College ECE Apprenticeship Program: Angel Vega Soto, Guadalupe Lemus Gomez, Ingrid Carrillo Vicente (Richmond High School);
- Los Medanos College ECE Apprenticeship Program: Daffnie Cardona, Layla Perkins Lopez (Pittsburg High School).
About Contra Costa County Office of Education
One of 58 counties in California, Contra Costa County has the 11th largest public-school student population in the state (approximately 169,394 students). Officially established in 1932, CCCOE has a long history of providing direct services to some of our county’s most vulnerable students, including young people who are incarcerated, homeless, or in foster care, as well as students who have severe physical or emotional challenges.
CCCOE also provides support services to schools and school districts in Contra Costa County; services that can be handled most effectively and economically on a regional basis rather than by each of the county’s 286 schools or 18 school districts. These services range from budget approval and fiscal support to technology infrastructure, communication support, and high-level professional development opportunities for educators. CCCOE maintains a website at www.cocoschools.org.
