Around 300 high school seniors across the country were selected to virtually attend a White House graduation ceremony that took place this week with Vice President Kamala Harris. Four of them are students from Riverside County.
Ariana Castañeda-Gutierrez, Omar Bahena, Elizabeth Esteban and Emma Hernandez each found out they would be part of the "Graduation 2021: A CNN Special Event" just two days prior to the ceremony held on May 18.
Some of them said they did not immediately know what the event was or that Harris would be the keynote speaker.
Hernandez, who attends Beaumont High School, said someone from her school district initially asked her if she would like to be part of a "special project."