NORFOLK, Va. — Milestone moments for high school seniors have been canceled due to COVID-19, but a Norfolk nonprofit found a creative alternative to honor them.
"Everyone is wanting to do their part to make sure that the students feel cared for because I think that was the first thing that came out of this pandemic," said Bonnie Sutton, President and CEO of ACCESS College Foundation. The nonprofit helps area public high school students apply and prepare for college.
During the pandemic, the group is working remotely to assist with admission and financial aid.
"It took a lot of ingenuity on the part of our advisors, their willingness to be there for whatever their students needed," said Sutton.
ACCESS holds an annual celebration to award scholarships to seniors. But the event is going virtual for the first time this year. The organization is taking to Instagram Stories to give more than 100 graduates nearly $700,000 in scholarships, including three special scholarships and 14 new named scholarships.
"We will be calling their name, calling their college, calling their special scholarships, and they will get that recognition," said Sutton.
Amid the crisis, Sutton said it’s critical to recognize seniors for their hard work and accomplishments during the school year.
"That's the part of the student that we have been about for 32 years is helping them with their educational pursuits and to achieve whatever they want to achieve and whatever they can achieve with our assistance," Sutton continued.
The virtual scholarship awards celebration will be held Friday, June 19 from 11 a.m. to noon on ACCESS College Foundation’s Instagram Stories. Click here to visit ACCESS's Instagram page.
For more information about ACCESS College Foundation and how it's serving public schools during COVID-19, visit the foundation's website. You can also check out the group on Facebook.