Our 13th Annual Inspire Awards was a beautiful night filled with friends, community, proud SAISD alumni, talented SAISD students and teachers, and of course our distinguished SAISD alumni honorees. Congratulations Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark, Pablo Rodriguez, Honorable Xavier Rodriguez and Bobby Perez who were recognized for their achievements in their respective fields. Honoree videos can be viewed on the Inspire Awards page linked below. 

At the opening reception students shared their passions that the SAISD Foundation has been proud to fuel. They greeted guests and provided live music entertainment from an outdoor stage. On the new Cyber bus, guests could see the Foundation’s investments at work with a CyberPatriot demonstration and the opportunity to try career exploration VR technology.

The program began with the presentation of colors and the signing of the national anthem by high school students. Program highlights included our SAISD student speakers introduced by Superintendent, Dr. Jaime Aquino. Elaya and Miamor bravely shared the stage with our lovely and talented Emcee, Bonnie Garcia. Past Inspire Honorees and our Board Chair were also on stage to proudly present each 2024 honoree with their award. We were moved by the words of our honorees and thrilled to close the evening the energy and humor of the Spurs Coyote. Thank you again to all who shared the evening with us!

Save the date! Our 14th Annual Inspire Awards is October 29, 2025. You don't want to miss it!

The event raffle is still open through Wednesday, October 30, at 5 pm. Winners will be drawn Friday, November 1, at noon and announced on the SAISD Foundation’s Facebook page. Select from exclusive packages including Spurs charter-level tickets, a visit from the Coyote and a feature on the jumbotron; Iconic Tiffany necklace, Kelly Wade gift certificate & limited edition wine; Rooftop bites & cocktails with a mariachi serenade by Campanas de America at Rosarios; and Chef-prepared cuisine by Adan Medrano, cocktails and signed cookbooks with a classical guitar performance at the home of Dr. Ellen Clark. 

View our current gallery of the night's festivities and the logos and listing of our incredible event sponsors and donors by clicking the button below. More photos will be loaded soon.

In honor of Cybersecurity Month and to further support students in STEM, we once again partnered with SAISD's IT Department to recognize the winning students who created artwork that raised awareness of the importance of password protection. Winning student designs are featured on all district computer screen savers this month. Read about the winners here! 

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is the perfect time to launch the SAISD Foundation’s Cyber Bus. Equipped with dual WiFi, high-end computers, Nintendo Switches, and an 80 inch external display monitor, this bus will serve as a mobile classroom for high school and middle school students. During our soft launch at Tafolla Middle School, Inspire Awards honoree Pablo Rodriguez spoke to students about his career journey and helped student test out the virtual reality goggles equipped with career exploration software (Tranfr). This software allows students to choose from over 40 different careers to explore in an immersive VR  experience.

Special thanks to the Travis Early College Cyber Samurais for helping our guests explore the bus and try out the VR googles for themselves! With the growth of CyberPatriots and eSports in our high schools this mobile bus will provide an accessible space for competitions, practices and recruitment. Thanks to SAISD Transportation, once fully launched, schools will be able to reserve the bus for student use. Special thanks to USAA, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Frost Charitable Foundation, Valero Energy Foundation, Argo and the Myra Stafford Pryor Trust who have invested in our STEM Bus initiatives to date.

Thank you to the San Antonio Express-News for covering "Pablo Gives Day" at Tafolla. To learn more about the VR goggles and the day visit our newsroom to see the coverage.

Funded by the SAISD Foundation, SAISD’s Postsecondary team has proudly launched 2024-25 college partner campus tours, with the first visit to St. Mary's University on September 28th. Accompanying our high school students was SAISD alum Nezmari Cuellar, Jefferson (‘21) and current senior and SAISD Foundation College Alumni Ambassador at St. Mary's. She generously shared her experiences and insights about university life. Nezmari emphasized the importance of near-peer mentorship, stating, "I signed up to show our SAISD students St. Mary's because I think it is important for high school students to hear from someone who has been in their shoes when considering which college to attend. I hope they learned a lot and it helps them with their decision-making on which college to attend."

In partnership, SAISD also offered college tours this month to Texas A&M San Antonio, UTSA, and Texas State. In November, SAISD  students will have the opportunity to explore Trinity, Prairie View A&M, and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. With the majority of SAISD students being the first in their families to attend college, these tours provide essential insights to help them make informed choices about their college paths. Data from past college tours demonstrates impact. 84% of students who attended an SAISD Foundation-funded college tour at a four-year college or university enrolled in college with 87% enrolling in a four-year institution. We encourage all high school students to visit their school’s College and Career Hub to sign up for one of these enriching campus visits.

Bank of America partnered with the SAISD Foundation and SAISD’s Career and Technical Education to better prepare students for high-demand automotive technology careers after high school with a surprise grant delivery on October 16, 2024.

Lanier students in the Automotive Technology Program received eight new Ohm’s Law and DC Circuits Trainers  - a $25,000 investment of the three partners. These industry-standard teaching units are designed to enhance students' skills through learning the basics of Ohm's Law, demonstrating electrical system components and circuit operations, building a strong foundation in electronic theory. This knowledge is essential for working on today's electronically advanced vehicles. This new industry-standard equipment will prepare more students to get certified and job-ready by high school graduation. A portion of grant funding will also help purchase more brake pads, tires, and oil for the Lanier automotive community repair lab. Now in its fourth year, this lab offers students hands-on experiences while providing reasonably priced maintenance and light repairs for their West Side community.

Thank you, Bank of America, for helping ensure students and teachers thrive in SAISD and beyond. Your generous donation enables SAISD and the SAISD Foundation to empower students with the skills and resources they need to be job-ready upon graduation. 

We are pleased to share with you the SAISD Foundation's 2023-24 Annual Report. This report serves as an overview of our achievements, milestones and impact over the last school year as well as our 2023 fiscal stewardship. As our donors, friends, partners, volunteers and advocates, we hope you take pride in what we have been able to accomplish because of you!

We invite you to flip through the report and learn more about how we put investments to work to benefit students and teachers. Additionally, take a few minutes to check out our short impact videos. Indeed we are building bright futures together! 

SAISD is inviting you to reimagine how SAISD's former school buildings can bring new life to our communities. You can help create positive change by taking the SAISD survey.

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