SAN ANTONIO – A challenge to mask up led to thousands of dollars in scholarships for some future college students. Palo Alto College held its first ever “Show Me Your Mask” competition.
The initiative was meant to encourage residents to celebrate the upcoming Fiesta in a safe and fun way.
Katie McCleary said her daughter Bosytn was excited to participate in the challenge, but was surprised she walked away with more than just a trophy.
“That was definitely very unexpected, but definitely very appreciated and we’re grateful for that,” she said.
Bostyn was one of 14 finalists who received a $6,200 scholarship toward Palo Alto College.
“Every dollar counts now a days and it’s way exciting,” McCleary said.
Awards were handed out at Athens Elementary School. The challenge is a spin on the popular Fiesta phrase “Shows Me Your Shoes”.
A total of $86,000 in scholarships toward the college were awarded on Thursday.
The event was a collaborative initiative with District 4 councilwoman Dr. Adriana Rocha-Garcia, the Fiesta Commission, and MySA.
Robert Garza said it is part of the college’s “Educate South” movement and he calls it a “community effort”.
“The children of Athens Elementary who participated in this event as well as our adults are walking away with scholarship for two years out of Palo Alto College,” Garza said.
He said the goal is to bring education awareness during a student’s early years.
“Events like this keeps the message up front. We care about each other. We want education to continue to move forward,” he said.