Students around the world are dealing with a lot during this pandemic… especially high school seniors who might never get their “normal” graduation experience.
Luckily, there are people in the Bryan-College Station community that are looking to brighten up the senior year.
From changes in learning to missed milestones, the class of 2020 has had a rough time.
So a few parents in Brazos County teamed up to start a facebook page… Adopt a High School Senior 2020.
“It’s a program that’s actually celebrating seniors. It’s bringing community out to love on them by exchanging gifts and they get to meet each other,” said Michelle Wagner-Yeatts, the Co-Administrator of the Adopt a Senior page.
High school seniors and community members from Bryan-College Station and surrounding areas can join the group online.
Parents of seniors can upload pictures to post with a message telling people about their student. Then, a community member can choose to, “adopt" them and safely exchange gifts at a predetermined location.
Adoptees don’t have to know their senior but for Brooke Horak, it was a plus to celebrate Kersten Hester, her "adopted" senior that she has known for years.
She said, “I was so glad to adopt her. We've talked even early in this process about what she’s missing and how upset she was that she wasn’t going to get to do certain things. This is all about showing these students we as a community love them.”
“Everyone tells us it’s your senior year, you finally made it. And our senior year, we went to spring break and we never came back. We’re missing prom, graduation,” Hester said, “having that support made me feel really good in like this sad time.”
This newfound community love and support goes both ways, even long after we get through this crisis.
Horak said “I have seen a lot of people who have just chosen to adopt somebody and they didn’t know them. After the fact, they said im so glad ive gotten to know this person. Some of these connections will maybe last a lifetime.”
You can find the Adopt a Senior page here.