Nearly 100 Alice High School seniors signed letters of intent during National College Signing Day on Thursday, May 1st, marking their commitments to colleges and military service as parents and peers looked on.
"As I was signing my name I was thinking it was bitter sweet," said Natalie Garcia.
Natalie Garcia was the first of her class to make her commitment to her dream school, Texas A&M University in College Station. She plans to pursue her dream of becoming a chiropractor after graduation.
"Alice (Independent School District) has prepared me to go forward by making my education really strong and teaching me the right way to do my work and teaching me that school is really important," said Garcia.
According to Post-secondary Advisor Cristina Rubalcava, 80 percent of this graduating class signed commitments to colleges or the military.
"To get to signing was a hard process," said Rubalcava.
Despite the challenges, Rubalcava expressed pride in seeing her students prepare for their futures.
"It's rewarding because some of these kids didn't come with a plan. They did not think about going to college. They did not think about going into the military," said Rubalcava.
Jesse Villarreal also signed with Texas A&M University in College Station, where he plans to become a sports physician.
"I like the traditions there. It's just Aggie traditions. Almost second to nothing in the whole country," said Villarreal.
Villarreal credits his high school experience with preparing him for this next step.
"It takes countless hours of dedication in the classroom and definitely out of the classroom - extracurriculars. Honestly, my whole journey as a football athlete - it prepared me just mentally," said Villarreal.
His advice to other students?
"Always try new things. Always try to be better than what you can," said Villarreal.
Parents joined in the celebration, including Amanda Garcia, whose daughter Alyssa Rivera will attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
"You're stronger than you know and smarter than you believe. You will do great things," said Garcia, offering advice to the graduates.
The signing ceremony lasted more than an hour and didn't even include all of the students from Alice ISD headed to college or into the military.
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