His Majesty, Felipe VI, King of Spain, granted the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic to Ms. Nike Luqman (Beltran), director of relations with the consular offices of the mayor of Houston, for her continuous work in strengthening the ties of collaboration and friendship between Spain and the United States.
Nike was raised in the Trinity Baptist Church in Dénia where her father was senior pastor and in fact, the Beltran Library of Colegio Alfa & Omega was named after her parents. She and her sister Lydia came to the US to attend Baylor University and after graduation, Nike married a Texan, became a US citizen and eventually made Texas her permanent home.
The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic is a Spanish civil order of chilvary and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations and cooperation with other nations. By law, its Grand Master is the King of Spain, and its Grand Chancellor is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the realm of services to the homeland, the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic is the highest civil honor granted by the Kingdom of Spain. Nike is a faithful supporter of Colegio Alfa & Omega and the Denia Bridges Foundation and is the first Protestant in the 200+ year history of the Order to have been awarded this honor.