Several Houston Independent School District seniors will receive a surprise visit—and a scholarship—from Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. The exemplary students will be surprised as part of the Superintendent Scholars Award.

The fourth year of these scholarships, the Superintendent Scholars Award recognizes the achievements of graduating seniors who have exemplified great character and resilience in the face of adversity.

Handpicked by Lathan, the 11 students were selected from HISD seniors nominated by their principals or leadership teams.

The scholarship awards benefit students who face hardships and challenges that may make higher education or career/vocational training difficult to attain. Rather than focusing solely on academic records, school administrators selected recipients based primarily on the qualities they have demonstrated and obstacles they have overcome that make them likely to succeed if given a chance.

The 11 seniors selected by Lathan will each receive $2,500 scholarships. The 35 remaining awardees will each receive $1,000 scholarships.

Two of the students whose scholarships were underwritten by Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and the Houston ISD Foundation were selected specifically because they have suffered setbacks related to the pandemic.

The surprises will be covered live on HISD’s Twitter account on Wednesday, May 12, and Tuesday, May 18.