HS seniors apply to college in school-wide ceremony

DALLAS - It's a big day for a group of high school seniors who are taking an important step toward their future.

More than 100 high school seniors became the first in their family to apply for college during a school-wide ceremony at Uplift Peak Preparatory.

Hundreds of students in lower grades lined up to cheer on the seniors as they dropped their applications in a mailbox near the school.

It was part of a nationwide College March, and Uplift Peak Prep is the first school in the South to be a part of it.

School officials say many of these kids come from low income families, and 90 percent of them are the first generation to apply for college.

The goal is for the march to become an annual tradition that inspires younger students and shows that anyone, regardless of background or circumstance, can apply for college

"I think when you send off first generation students, you need to engage the entire community and just show our seniors they have our complete support," said Megan Fliss, a Road to College counselor at Uplift Peak.

The college march initiative started in New York City in 2011 and has spread across the nation.

Uplift Peak is the first of 18 schools nationwide to hold the march this year.