AUSTIN, Texas -- The Class of 2020 is facing a graduation season unlike anything in recent history.

While students are still able to finish classes and graduate with the help of their school districts and distance learning, their accomplishments have widely been overshadowed by COVID-19.

That is until communities took notice and decided to step up to fill the void.

Pages began popping up online called Adopt-a-Senior. People post pictures of their seniors on a page or in a social media group with their accomplishments, and others can volunteer to adopt the student.

The seniors can tell the volunteers what they like and dislike or just choose to accept a random gift.

Adreanna Almendarez-Pulido started the Facebook group Adopt a Texas Senior ’20 Austin Suburbs Area. Her daughter is a senior at David Crockett High School in South Austin. Together they’ve grown the group to nearly 2,000 members with more than 300 seniors adopted as of Wednesday.

“When I got my gift, it was amazing. (It’s) definitely something that is powerful, and that’s how you know in situations like this people are able to come together,” Kryseauna Pulido said.

Coronavirus canceled celebrations every senior experiences at the end of the year but it was a double-edged sword for Pulido.

The 17-year-old was diagnosed with vertigo in 2019 and deals with depression and anxiety. Softball has helped her stay strong on her way to graduation but her senior season was suddenly cut short because of COVID-19.

“If I knew that was my last time on the field with the coaches and those girls it would have been so different,” she said.

As she was looking to move on to higher education, Kryseauna Pulido was close to being offered a softball scholarship to Sterling College in Kansas. However, the scholarship was withdrawn because the university decided to let its current seniors play another season. Yet another ripple effect of the coronavirus.

She was devastated.

“I know she feels like she disappointed her dad and I but we are so proud of her,” Adreanna Almendarez-Pulido said. 

Kryseauna Pulido was especially excited to walk the stage at graduation, and if all goes well, she will get the chance in August. Austin ISD rescheduled graduations so students could still walk.

“I have two little sisters so it was important to me to walk the stage to show them I was able to handle sports, education, a job and move on to college,” she said.

Kryseauna Pulido was adopted by a volunteer and given a gift basket with more than she could’ve asked for. The gesture was so meaningful, she adopted two other seniors herself.

“I didn’t expect this to turn out this big and have people really want to help out seniors and uplift them at this time,” she said.