Every D.C. High School Grad Gifted Free Tickets to Pharrell Music Festival
XQ Institute and Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival partner to give free passes to every senior in D.C. public high schools
;)
Untangle Your Mind!
Sign up for our free newsletter and start your day with clear-headed reporting on the latest topics in education.
Help fund stories like this. Donate now!
More than 4,000 graduating D.C. public high school seniors have been invited to the annual Something In The Water music festival this weekend by musician and entrepreneur Pharrell Williams and XQ Institute.
Williams and XQ Institute — a national organization that redesigns high schools so all students are successful — are giving each senior one free pass to the festival, which will be held June 17-19 in Washington D.C. to coincide with Juneteenth weekend.
“Congrats to this year’s D.C. high school graduates. You’ve truly inspired all of us through your resiliency and through your ability to learn through a pandemic,” said Pharrell in his Instagram message. “You deserve to be celebrated.”
SITW, an annual festival founded by Williams that features culture and art, will this year include a lineup of artists, including Jusitn Timberlake, SZA, Lil Baby, and Gracie Abrahms. There will also be the DC+XQ Community Market, featuring D.C. vendors and entrepreneurs, right outside of the festival.
“We believe the work of transformation is community centered, and at the center of that community are our biggest assets: students,” said XQ chief program officer Ursulina Ramirez. “Partnering with Pharrell and SITW is our way of saying thank you, congratulations, and honoring the class of 2022 for persevering through their HS journey. We wish them all the best as they continue their journeys.”
XQ began its partnership with DC Public Schools in February 2022 to redesign the district’s high schools, Ramirez said. “We are in the midst of working with DCPS to design and implement innovative models ensuring all students — including those furthest from opportunity — are prepared to succeed in college, career, and in life.”
Help fund stories like this. Donate now!
Jasmine De Leon is an Emma Bowen Fellow at The 74 this summer. She is also a junior at Seton Hall University pursuing a degree in International Relations with minors in journalism, Catholic studies and Chinese.
@jrosedeleon