The Brownwood High School (BHS) Academic Awards Ceremony was held Tuesday, May 12 in the BHS Auditorium. Students were awarded in a variety of extracurricular and academic fields, including the 2026 BHS Salutatorian and Valedictorian presentations.

Salutatorian honors were presented to Emory May and Valedictorian honors were awarded to Kirsten Fijer.

Emory May

Emory is the daughter of Zach and Adriane May. Emory is involved in Varsity Tennis and Varsity Choir as well as serving as the Vice President of the National Honor Society, Treasurer of the Student Council, and Secretary for HOSA. Her achievements include competing at State for HOSA, earning All-Region Choir honors, and qualifying for State UIL Solo & Ensemble. She also enjoyed participating in the school musicals. Emory puts her faith in Jesus who inspires her to strive to live with kindness and integrity in everything she does. After high school, she will attend Texas A&M University in College Station this fall to pursue a degree in Biomedical Science with aspirations of becoming a veterinarian. She feels so incredibly blessed to have received the honor of being named class salutatorian.

Kirsten Fijer

Kirsten is the daughter of Ginalyn and Marlo Fijer. Throughout high school, she has served as President of both Student Council and National Honor Society, where she has been able to give back to her school and community. Kirsten has also been involved in UIL academics, film crew, yearbook staff, and the photography program, receiving multiple conference awards for her work and attaining her Adobe Photoshop Certification. Kirsten loves leading others and strives to make the lives of those around her easier in any way possible. Grounded in her faith, she allows it to remain at the forefront of everything she does. After high school, Kirsten plans to attend The University of Texas at Austin to pursue a degree in architecture, a long-time passion of hers. Eventually, she hopes to become a licensed architect committed to creating spaces that encourage belonging and connection. Kirsten is deeply thankful for the opportunities and support she has received throughout high school and gives all glory to God for her accomplishments.

May and Fijer are scheduled to walk the stage at the Brownwood Coliseum on Friday, May 29, as part of the BHS graduating class of 2026. Commencement begins at 7:00 p.m., and a live video broadcast will be available online at https://www.brownwoodisd.org/bhsgraduation.

A full list of awards and photos from the awards ceremony are viewable at: https://bwdisd.org/bhsaa26.