This year, Senior Signing Day looked much different than ever before. Hosted at NRG Stadium on Thursday, May 18, we introduced a new format to our annual event: two programs in one day. In the morning, we welcomed Eisenhower, Northbrook, Southside, North Forest, Southeast, North Central and East End. In the afternoon, we were joined by Brays Oaks, Fifth Ward, Gulfton, Northside, Southwest, West and White Oak.

Prior to the start of the programs, our senior families were treated to a VIP Family Reception where they received YES Prep giveaways and were able to decorate posters to cheer their seniors when they declared on Houston’s biggest stage. 

News personalities Mayra Moreno, anchor with ABC 13, for the morning program and Bill Barajas, news reporter with KPRC 2, and Marcela Perez Barros, anchor with Univision 45, for the afternoon helped us kick off our event. They introduced Mark DiBella, CEO, and Nella Garcia Urban, Chief External Officer, who thanked our staff and families for all their hard work in getting our seniors to this day and congratulated our graduating class for their commitment and dedication.

Also new to the program was the introduction of highlight groups. We had seniors who received Posse, QuestBridge and IMPACT scholarships declare individually in their respective groups. We also spotlighted seniors who received YES Prep or external scholarships like the Dell Scholars, The Gates Scholarship, Houston Livestock and Rodeo scholarships, APQC, and Phi Beta Kappa scholarships. Plus, we highlighted seniors who are going off to the military, attending HBCUs, pursuing certificate programs at local community colleges and student-athletes who are attending college through athletics.

In total, YES Prep had over 1,600 seniors in the Class of 2023, the largest graduating class thus far. Combined, our seniors submitted over 17,500 applications to 651 colleges and universities and received 11,000 offers of admissions. On average, each student submitted an average of 11 applications.

2023 Senior Signing Day also featured the artistic talents of several of our YES Prep students and staff. Blessyn Flix, seventh-grade student from Southside Secondary, sang the national anthem for the morning program and Joshua Chavira, teacher with Southside Elementary, sang in the afternoon. D’Juan Hych, teacher with Southside Secondary, also led the YES Prep spirit squad throughout both programs.

A special thank you to all of the following student performance groups who entertained the audience: Brays Oaks Secondary’s BOLD Dance Squad, Elite Cheer and D.I.A.M.O.N.D.Z.; East End Secondary’s Varsity Cheer, special performance by alumnus Santi; Northside Secondary’s Lionettes, Pom Squad, HBCU Alumni Teacher Step Team; North Central Secondary’s Blazerettes; North Forest Secondary’s Legendary Pantherettes; Southeast Secondary’s Pure Gold Varsity Dance Team; Southside Secondary’s Varsity Cheer, Dazzlers Dance Team; Southwest Secondary’s Origen Folklórico; and White Oak Secondary’s White Oak Nation Dance Team. A special shout out to our youngest performers, the Airline Elementary Sparkettes!

We would like to thank all our YES Prep community who joined us for this very special day, including but not limited to our board members, donors and college representatives.

Leading up to Senior Signing Day, for the first time ever, YES Prep held a giving campaign. We are happy to share that over $25,000 was raised and will be matched dollar-for-dollar, thanks to a gift from generous donors.

And to add to the celebration, we proudly announced that families in the Hobby, Southwest and North Rankin communities looking for a high-quality public school education will have the opportunity to enroll their children in one of YES Prep Public Schools’ three new elementary schools in August 2024— YES Prep Hobby Elementary, YES Prep Southwest Oaks Elementary and YES Prep North Rankin Elementary. 

• YES Prep Hobby Elementary will be located at 7660 Hansen Road and serve as a feeder school for YES Prep Hobby Secondary.  
• YES Prep Southwest Oaks Elementary will be located at 5212 Anderson Road and serve as a feeder school for YES Prep Southwest Secondary.  
• YES Prep North Rankin Elementary will be located at 12537 Kuykendahl Road and will be the first YES Prep school in that area.  

View a gallery of photos from the event by clicking here.