NORFOLK, Va. — The graduating class of 2023 gathered together at Chartway Arena to celebrate "College Commitment Day".
This annual one-day event is hosted by the ACCESS College Foundation, which is an organization committed to helping students become college-ready with a primary focus on low-income and underrepresented communities.
During the event, students were able to group together with their classmates and make new friends with students who are committing to the same university as they are.
For many, this was an excellent opportunity to meet new people and build lifelong connections.
Kaya Rice, a graduating senior at Oscar Smith High School, explained that going to college is a huge accomplishment for herself and her family.
"Higher education to me means success, I come from a single-parent household. So having a mother who is always motivating me and allowing me to push myself to strive for greatness, it's just the epitome of just going for my goals honestly," said Rice.
In addition to honoring more than 2,000 students from across Hampton Roads, partners with the event awarded students with scholarships to help fund their education.
Scholarship awards ranged from $3,000 to $10,000.
Justin Hales, graduating senior at Manor High School tells News 3, he's enjoyed his learning experience thus far and is looking forward to attending JMU in the fall.
"It's always good to pursue learning and learn more things in life, and once that kind of kicked in, I started understanding it and once learning more things in high school, I realized that I actually enjoy this, I started learning more things and everything, so that's what really got me interested in college and everything," said Hales.
