From the 2026 NNELL Summer Institute Webinar:
Panelists: Dr. Tracy Vik (Administrator) | Jake Li (Language Student) | Rishmitha Bollu (Heritage Speaker of Telugu, Student) | Brenda Nour (Parent) | Lucia Hughes (Business Community) | Dr. Scott Womack (Retired Military, Educator)
A panel discussion of students, administrators, parents, and members of the business community and military will address what is at stake from their perspective if our students do not learn a language other than English in order to be domestically and globally competitive. There will be time for Q & A with the audience.
Dr. Tracy Vik has served as principal of the Sioux Falls School District Spanish Immersion program since 2014, and in 2016, led the opening of Sonia Sotomayor Elementary, South Dakota's first and only one-way Spanish immersion elementary school. Under her leadership, the school was named a National Blue Ribbon School for Academic Excellence in 2022. She successfully united a diverse staff representing 12 Spanish-speaking countries and brought together families from two school communities to build a cohesive and inclusive environment. Dr. Vik believes that strong partnerships among teachers, principals, and families are essential to sustaining early language learning and ensuring all stakeholders feel valued and heard. Her work has earned her numerous honors, including the 2023 NNELL Outstanding Support for Early Language Learners Award.