SAN ANTONIO — The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused most high school seniors to miss out on important rite-of-passage events like prom and graduation ceremonies.
But thanks to a few local organizations, seniors didn’t miss out on their College Signing Day.
SA2020 and the San Antonio Education Partnership held a virtual College Signing Day where thousands of students and their families were able to gather in a livestreamed event.
The pandemic cancelled the in-person event on its 10th anniversary. This was an out-of-the-box way to celebrate high school seniors as they embark on their new journeys to post-secondary education.
The event, held Friday, was hosted by SA2020’s Molly Cox and 96.1’s Russell Rush. The hosts brought together students from different schools attending the same college during the livestream.
Two seniors, one from McCollum High School in Harlandale ISD and another from Harlan High School in Northside ISD, were introduced by Cox and Rush for the first time as they prepare to begin studies at New York University.
The hosts also highlighted three seniors from the Young Women’s Leadership Academy. One is the first student from the school to ever be accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Cox reported that YWLA Class of 2020 earned $18.5 million in scholarship dollars.
There were also a few special guests that stopped by to cheer on the seniors, like University of Texas at San Antonio mascot Rowdy and the University of Texas Longhorn, Bevo.
Another guest celebrity, former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Julian Castro, offered some words of wisdom to the senior class.
“It really is what you put into it, what you make of it," he said. "And you can control your destiny."
Trinity University alum and current San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg also shared his advice.
“Be open to experience, be open to new people with different backgrounds and cultures, accept them, and also accept that your dreams and aspirations may in fact change," he said. "Pursue your passions wherever they may lead you."
From all of us at KENS 5, congratulations to everyone in the Class of 2020!