2026 YAE Award Winner
Overall Achievement
Overall Achievement
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Daniel Wang,Plano West Senior High School, 12th gradeList Item 1
• National Merit Semifinalist (2026)
• USA Biology Olympiad Semifinalist (2026)
• Texas Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra (2026)
• GDYO Jeannette Early Scholarship Recipient (2026)
• 1st Place, North Texas Suzuki Association Young Artist Competition (2025)
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Ally Liew, Allen High School, 12th gradeList Item 2
• Youth America Grand Prix International Ballet Competition 3rd Place 2026
• Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair 2nd Place 2026
• Texas Science and Engineering Fair State Finalist 2026
• Founder and Author of The Interdisciplinary Dancer Blog 2026
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Eugenia Jin, Grapevine High School, 12th GradeList Item 3
• Qualified for International Science and Engineering Fair (2026)
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics: High Schooler of the Year Award in North Texas (2026)
• Conference Paper at the AIAA Region IV Student Conference (2026)
• National Science Foundation Space and Aerospace Award: 1st Place (2026)
• NASA Earth System Science Award: 1st Place (2025)
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Jean Gan, Plano West Senior High School, 12th gradeList Item 4
Jean Gan, Plano West Senior High School, 12th grade
• 2026 UTD TAST STEMBridge Research Program | 3rd Place Final Presentation
• 2026 National Merit Semifinalist
• 2024 National Scholastic Art & Writing | Silver Key
• 2024 REAE 5311 Real Estate Analysis Course Completion
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Annie Yang, Reedy High School, 12th grade
• National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
• Congressional Art Competition Winner; artwork exhibited at the U.S. Capitol
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: 1 Gold Key, 3 Silver Keys, and 9 Honorable Mentions
• Research published in the National High School Journal of Science
• Co-founder and Vice President of Unity Threads; raised over $3,000
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Amy Yang, Reedy High School, 12th grade
• Co-authored a research paper in the National High School Journal of Science
• UTD CAST STEM Bridge Program: Best Commercialization Potential Award
• High School VASE Region Medalist award (2025) and a Scholastic Art and Writing Competition Silver Key (2025)
• Conducted independent irrigation research with an professor, analyzing soil moisture and watering efficiency across five plant species
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Jocelyn Li, Rock Hill High School, 12th grade
• FIRST Dean’s List Semi-Finalist (‘25); Operations Captain of FRC Team 6773
• Founder of Art Mail Club (Tykerbyte), 1k+ orders shipped to 9 states
• Co-founder of an all-female FLL team
• Director of Social Media for Girls in STEM, 12k+ followers
• NEHS Chapter President; nationally recognized by the NEHS National Director
STEM Excellence
STEM Excellence
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Claire Wang, Plano West Senior High School, 11th gradeList Item 1
• 8565 Technicbots CAD Modeling Lead & Integration Prime
• 2026 FTC World Championship Division Inspire Award
• 2024 FTC World Championship Division Robot Semifinalist
• Girls in STEM Club President at Plano West
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Melody Jing, BASIS Plano, 10th gradeList Item 2
• Software Programmer for FTC 18227, Division Inspire Award 3rd Place, Division Semi-Finalist Alliance Captain at the 2026 World Championships
• 2026 National “Engineering Changes the World” AIGC Video Challenge Overall Distinguished Award, High School Division 1st Place
• Finalist at the 2025 Texas State Science and Engineering Fair
• 3x American Invitation Mathematics Examination Qualifier
• 2025 Presidential Volunteer Service Award Gold
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Grace Liu, The Hockaday School, 10th gradeList Item 3
• Published a research paper: A Deep Dive into Computer Aided Design
• Presented a custom TouchDesigner visual effects project at the 12th FLYSET International FIRST Workshop, titled "Realtime Augmented Reality with FTC Robot Subsystems"
• Promoted national STEM legislation with the Student Association for STEM Advocacy (SASA) in Washington D.C.
• Qualified for 2026 TPSMEA All-Region Choir
• National Spanish Exam Gold Medalist
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Aurora Cai, Jasper High School, 10th gradeList Item 4
• 2026 FTC World Championship Division Inspire Award
• Scouting Lead on TechnicBots 8565
• Vice President of Human Resources at Citizens of Tomorrow
• Vice President of Business Professional Association at Jasper
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William Tu, St. Mark’s School of Texas, 10th grade
• Member of FTC Team 8565 Technicbots, contributing vision software to
a robot that competed at the 2025 World Championships, where the team
won the Control Award and Division Inspire Award
• Placed in the top 100 out of over 1,500 teams at the 2025 Carnegie
Mellon University PicoCTF Hackathon
• Co-authored a robotics research paper accepted for presentation at an IEEE conference
• Placed 5th at the Middle School National Championship Tournament in Quiz Bowl
Community Service and Leadership
STEM Excellence
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Jiaqi Yang, Allen High School, 10th grade
• Founded and leads Across Generations that connects young people and seniors
• Strengthened skills in leadership, communication, teamwork, and event coordination while actively serving the local community
• Promoted appreciation for Chinese culture, intergenerational connection, and community engagement through meaningful service
• Served as a host and event assistant for cultural programs and competitions
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Ava Hong, Coppell High School, 12th gradeList Item 1
• HOSA International Conference CERT Skills 1st (2026)
• President and co-founder of Coppell CERT Club
• Lead and organized FEMA based student emergency/disaster response training
• National Service Award Gold (2025)
• National Merit Semifinalist
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Youming (Arvin) Liu, Centennial High School, 12th gradeList Item 2
• Burjeel Holdings & Oxford Saïd Climate Change Challenge: Recognized at the International level for innovative climate action solutions
• National Service Honor – Gold Level
• FFA Greenhand Degree: Earned school-level honor recognizing leadership and active involvement in agricultural education
• Cultural & Community Ambassador
• Bi-lingual Translation & Reception Support
Sports Outstanding
STEM Excellence
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Jeffrey Liu, Carroll High School, 12th grade
• Ironman and USA Triathlete: nationally Ranked 50th (Ages 16-17)
• 1st Place in school, American Association of Physics Teachers PhysicsBowl competition
• National Merit Semifinalist
• Atmospheric Water Harvesting Researcher
• Sustainable Water Policy Advocate
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Bryan Kuang, Greenhill School, 11th grade
• Greenhill School Varsity Football Player
• Greenhill School JV Basketball Team Player
• Team Nation Travel Basketball Team Player
• Multiple-Time AIME Qualifier
• President’s Volunteer Service Award Recipient
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Emily Chen, The Hockaday School, 11th grade
• Varsity track and field member of her school since freshman year
• 3rd place for the 4x100m relay and 5th for the 100mh in the Southwest Preparatory Conference
• 3rd place for 100m hurdles in the Redondo Nike Track Festival
• Leadership roles in school's investment club, Youth Entrepreneur Society, and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
Achievements in Arts
STEM Excellence
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Joshua Yang, Coppell High School, 11th gradeList Item 1
• UIL Marching Band State Finalist
• Taekwondo 3rd Degree Black Belt
• TSA State 3rd Place
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Aaron Zhang, Plano West Senior Hight, 11th gradeList Item 2
• Two Outstanding Singer awards and one Bronze division award for Cultures of China Water Cube Cup
• Consistent Superior and Superior Plus ratings at Sonatina Festival and American Festival for piano
• Earned a position at the tip of a triangle formation during the transition between two movements in 10th grade marching band
• First chair French Horn of Wind Symphony in 10th grade in Jasper Band
• Achieved community service