HARRISBURG, S.D. (KELO) — It’s not unusual to see an athlete sign a letter of intent to play college sports. It’s less common to see a high school student commit to a profession.

As part of Teacher Appreciation Week, nine Harrisburg seniors have signed on the dotted line, pledging to become educators.

“We all know who our teachers were and what an important part they played in our lives. We want to recognize those that are choosing that for a career path and the difference they’ll make in the lives of others someday,” Harrisburg Superintendent Tim Graf said.

Anna Von Wald will attend Augustana University, while Brianna Sandvig heads to USD. The pair started on a similar path.

“I worked at a daycare for a couple years and I loved that, so working with kids is definitely something that I’m passionate about,” Anna Von Wald said.

“I’ve been working with kids for a few years now at my daycare job, but they’re elementary schoolers and I’ve been really enjoying working with them every single day,” Brianna Sandvig said.

Making it easy to make the pledge.

“I want to make an impact in other people’s lives so I decided to commit to that,” Sandvig said.

“I thought it was a good opportunity to show everybody my passion and show everybody I’m committed to following this path in my life,” Von Wald said.

Teachers at Harrisburg shared advice and wisdom, including ‘memories make us rich’ and that the teaching profession provides that wealth.

“At the end of your life you don’t think I lived in a mansion, I’ve had all these fancy cars, it’s I lived a good life and I had good friends and I made a difference in other people’s lives, Von Wald said.

And she’s eager to get started.

“People say not to rush your youth, but I’m super excited to finally start the real thing of being a teacher and getting started on my path,” Von Wald said.

Von Wald will major in Elementary Education and Special Education, while Sandvig plans to major in Art Education.