EVENT: One thousand first generation college-bound high school seniors and 500 eighth-graders from across Central Texas will publicly commit to pursue higher education at an event to celebrate their academic achievements.
WHEN: Friday, April 29
- 8:30 a.m. – media arrival
- 9 a.m. – interviews and games
- 10-11:30 a.m. – ceremony
WHERE: Gregory Gym, 2101 Speedway, Austin, Texas
BACKGROUND: At the second annual College Signing Day, community leaders including Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Austin Independent School District Superintendent Paul Cruz and higher education officials from UT Austin, Austin Community College and Huston-Tillotson University will recognize high school seniors during a ceremony preceded by high energy activities such as a college mascot dance-off.
Students will commit to specific universities where they are already accepted. The high-schoolers will be grouped by college and will showcase their spirit throughout the event. A group of eighth-graders will attend as a way to get engaged in the culture of college success and start preparing for higher education.
Inspired by the NCAA’s National Signing Day, the E3 Alliance hosts this event with UT Austin to highlight that excellence in the classroom should be given as much significance as achievement in athletics. The alliance, whose name stands for education equals economics, is a regional, data-driven education collaborative working to promote regional economic prosperity by fostering educational achievement for current and future generations.
LIVE STREAM: http://irt.austincc.edu/webcast/CollegeSigningDay2016.php
NOTE TO EDITORS: Students and community leaders will be available for interviews in English and Spanish.
