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This Joyful Video Will Make You Smile. See What Happens When Students Have The Support They Need.
What if we gave all of our students the same kind of recognition that football and basketball players get when they commit to a college? That's what they do down in San Antonio for their College Signing Day. This past May, I traveled to San Antonio to cheer on these young people at a big rally full of thousands of students who committed not just to go to college, but to complete it.The students all wear their college T-shirts. They practice their college cheers and chants. And they even meet their college mascots. But it’s not just the students who are involved. On College Signing Day, everyone in San Antonio — business leaders, city workers, teachers, and so many others — wears their alma mater’s T-shirt as well. It’s a way to show that higher education is a community-wide value, a way to show younger students that completing their education past high school is the norm. Because while students have to study hard and take responsibility for their futures, our communities — and our entire country — have to be there to support them every step of the way.The good news is that these kinds of celebrations aren’t just happening in San Antonio. Schools and cities all across the country are showering their young people with encouragement and support like this as well. And in the years ahead, I hope even more communities will celebrate their students like this — and set an expectation of college completion. That’s how we’ll encourage our young people to reach higher. And that’s how together, we can help them create a better future for themselves and our country.
09.18.14