GERSTELL ACADEMY
LEADERSHIP • HONOR • COURAGE

Junior Wins Prestigious Bertie Green Travel Award

Alivia Nyerges, a junior at Gerstell Academy, is one of only 18 students in the United States to win the 2026 Bertie Green Junior Travel Award from the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH), a national honor society for high school students studying Spanish or Portuguese. She has demonstrated leadership in the Gerstell chapter of the SHH since her initiation in the fall of sophomore year and currently serves as its vice-president. Each SHH chapter in the United States may choose one junior member to apply for this award.  
 
Alivia currently studies Spanish V, Gerstell’s pre-AP Spanish course. Her understanding and use of the Gerstell Leadership Model empowered her to approach the extensive application process for this highly competitive award with passion, conviction, and persistence throughout first semester, and produced an exciting result: an all-expense paid educational trip to Ecuador in July 2026. 
  
As the candidate from Gerstell Academy´s Capítulo Julia Álvarez, Alivia submitted samples of both her written and oral work in Spanish to a selection committee appointed by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). She spoke for five minutes in Spanish about her motivation for continuing to study the language and wrote an engaging 500-word essay in Spanish in which she explained the relationship between indigenous peoples in Ecuador and their environment. As a result of her research, Alivia discovered Amazoonico, an organization in Ecuador that works to rescue, care for animals and eventually free them to the wild. She took action to initiate a virtual meeting in Spanish with two representatives of that organization who are onsite in Ecuador. 
 
Alivia’s leadership in Spanish is extensive. As a freshman in level 3 Spanish, she worked to reach her full potential to win a spot in the prestigious Concordia Language Villages Summer Immersive Program. At the end of sophomore year, Alivia had already earned the Global Seal of Biliteracy - Level 1: Functional Fluency placing at advanced-mid in reading, and intermediate-high in writing, listening, and speaking. Without a doubt, Alivia will earn Level 2, Working Fluency before graduating. Additionally, Alivia has been a medal winner on the National Spanish Examinations, earning silver and bronze medals.  

Gerstell Academy has a long history of excellence in Spanish and has maintained an active chapter of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica for 18 years. During this time, Gerstell Academy has produced 12 recipients of the prestigious Bertie Green Travel Award. 
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