May 1 is the deadline for students to accept an offer of admission at many institutions, celebrated as Decision Day or College Signing Day.

Reach Higher, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary, is encouraging schools and communities to host College Signing Day events to help build a college-going culture and to recognize students’ hard work.

NACAC host Crystal Newby talked with Reach Higher’s Eric Waldo about the Signing Day tradition and what it adds to the college admission process.

“A college-going culture doesn’t start your junior year when you start thinking about what colleges to look at. It truly is about a whole pipeline,” Waldo said. “…College Signing Day is part of the celebration, but so much work happens before then.”

Last year, more than 2,000 schools and communities across the country organized Signing Day events for their students and Reach Higher is hoping to see that number grow.

“I think we should celebrate all of those decisions. It’s not just about the people that are going to a four-year program,” Waldo said. “We know that no matter what school you go to, it’s going to have a life-changing effect on your life and that’s also what should be celebrated. It’s the fact that education and lifelong learning is what this is all about.”

Watch the full video and download the College Signing Day kit.

Ashley Dobson is NACAC’s communications manager for content and social media. You can reach her at adobson@nacacnet.org.