As millions of high school seniors across the nation prepare to graduate, many of them are also making plans for what to do after graduation. For many, this includes making the critical decision about where to go to college in the fall. As part of marking this important milestone in the college-going journey, today, seniors across the country are celebrating College Signing Day.

College Signing Day was launched in 2015 to engage and excite students about the decision-making process. College Signing Day is part of the Reach Higher and Better Make Room initiatives that were started by Michelle Obama when she was First Lady. These initiatives have become a national movement where communities, schools, and organizations rally around high school seniors as they make their commitments to a professional training program, a community college, a four-year college or university, or the military.

Studies show that students who talk with school counselors about the college-going process are more likely to attend a postsecondary option. As a result, Reach Higher and Better Make Room aim to inspire high school students, especially those who would be the first in their families to graduate from college, to reach for their dreams by enrolling in a postsecondary program.

ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning, Reach Higher, and Better Make Room work together to empower and celebrate students on their college-going journeys. And the Center’s desire to foster collaboration brought together the National College Access Network, American University’s Center for Postsecondary Readiness and Success, Better Make Room, and the American College Application Campaign to develop Steps2College.org, a one-stop resource for everything high school counselors, as well as students and their families, need to know as they explore the college-going process. College Signing Day 2019 will reach thousands of students, and we invite this year’s high school juniors to plan ahead for next fall’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC) events. Last year, ACAC reached more than 570,000 students in nearly 7,000 high schools (who submitted more than 800,000 college applications)! And ACAC, which became part of ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning earlier this year, aims to reach even more students in even more high schools next fall!

Today at 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, former First Lady Michelle Obama and a long list of celebrities, will be on the UCLA campus to join nearly 10,0000 students for this year’s official College Signing Day event, which you can watch live online. Communities and schools throughout the nation will also hold College Signing Day celebration events to mark the day and celebrate the next steps seniors are taking in their education journeys.

Do you remember the excitement (and maybe nervousness) you felt as you declared your postsecondary intention? We invite you to join the celebration – and empower all those who journey on the path to success – by sporting your college apparel at your workplace, and sharing photos on social media using #CollegeSigningDay and tagging @BetterMakeRoom.