Royal Independent School District is proud to announce that two students from the first graduating class of the Royal Early College High School program, the Class of 2019, are graduating from Texas State University today at 2:00 PM.
Juan Perez is graduating with his Baccalaureate of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Mercedes Saldana is graduating with her Baccalaureate of Science degree in Human Development and Family Sciences.
Both Mercedes and Juan completed their Associate of Arts degree with Royal Early College High School in May of 2019, and earned their Bachelor degrees in just two and a half years due to the college credit they earned through the Royal Early College High School program.
Royal Independent School District as a whole is extremely proud of these students and their accomplishments and congratulates these students and their supportive families for their success. Royal ECHS, in conjunction with Lone Star College—Tomball, provides dual credit courses to Royal students at no cost to the students and their families and is projected to graduate another 25 students with Associate of Arts degrees in May of 2022.
For more information about the Royal ECHS program, please email the Royal ISD Director of Advanced Academics, Ms. Melissa Baker at mbaker@royal-isd.net.
A note from Ms. Baker:
You know I’m crying as I type this—because that’s what I do when I am emotional, and emotional doesn’t begin to describe it. I am so proud. I cannot wait to see you walk across that stage. YOU did it. You were the first group—the first to volunteer to be the “ECHS kids”, and there were so many unknowns. You were the first to trust the process, the first to stress over a college calculus course, the first (and only) to sit through ENGL 1301/1302 with me as your professor (and I cherish that year), and the first to graduate from Lone Star College—Tomball before you graduated from Royal High School. Your hard work got you here—you made this happen. Remember that always—hard work and faith in yourself will continue to get you everywhere you are meant to go.
I am just so proud and cannot wait to see your life continue to unfold. The English professor in me has to quote the great Ms. Angelou: “I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve.”
Love always,
Ms. Baker
