Mission Graduates, a nonprofit education organization, announced today that San Francisco Giants’ pitcher Sergio Romo will give the keynote speech at their commencement event Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist at 110 Julian Street.
Mi Pasaje or My Journey, celebrates a rite of passage for Mission youth that have worked so hard to reach their educational goals against many odds. The event will highlight stories of personal triumph from high school graduates, college graduates, and parents.
This year, College Connect honors the amazing achievements of the high school class of 2014. The 25 students that make up the 6th Cohort of first-generation students have collectively raised $639,500 in scholarships, averaging to over $25,000 per student. For the 3rd year in a row, College Connect is host to a recipient of the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship- Manoj Adhikari- will attend Santa Clara University in the fall on a full-ride scholarship through college and will continue through graduate school. Scholarship funders will acknowledge the College Connect scholar recipients at the event.
This year also celebrates the graduation of College Connect’s 2nd Cohort, with 8 students receiving their college degrees this spring. To date, College Connect students have raised $2,450,732 in scholarships, significantly reducing financial barriers to college success.
To commemorate the achievements of these 33 students, Sergio Romo will keynote this year’s celebration. Well known for his skills on the baseball field, Romo is a strong supporter of undocumented students pursuing their college dreams through The Dream Is Now campaign. Romo will be joined on stage by NBC News anchor Damian Trujillo, sharing insight into achieving success in the face of many obstacles. As part of the program, Damian Trujillo will interview Sergio Romo on issues facing Latino and immigrant family as they prepare their children to get into and succeed in college.