Memphis , Tennessee ( CNN ) -- A hundred and fifty-five Warriors from Booker T. Washington High School received a diploma Monday -- and a handshake from the president of the United States . `` Just a couple of years ago , this was a school where only about half the students made it to graduation . For a long time , just a handful headed to college each year , '' President Barack Obama pointed out in his address to the students . The school 's dramatically improved graduation rate was one reason the president came to Memphis on a cool spring day . Booker T. Washington High is credited with a jump in graduation rate from 55 % to 82 % in just four years through the use of gender-based classrooms and increased teacher effectiveness . Teachers who seemed to get more than a year 's growth out of their students were moved to the core classes of English and mathematics as part of the school 's educational innovation . `` Because you created this culture of caring and learning , today we are standing in a very different Booker T. Washington High School . Today , this is a place where more than four out of five students are earning a diploma -- a place where 70 % of the graduates will continue their education , '' Obama said . The president has set a goal of having the largest percentage of college graduates in the world by the year 2020 . Booker T. Washington is an inner-city school in a low-income neighborhood with high incidents of teenage pregnancy and violence . `` I gave Barack Obama a hug , '' happy graduate Markeshia McKinney said after the ceremony . For her success , she credited her hard work and not falling behind in her schoolwork . McKinney said she plans to take care of her baby that is due in a few weeks for the short term , and go to college in the long term . Graduate Catron Roland attributed his success in school to his teachers , who he said pushed him to succeed . `` When I tried to quit , they told me not to , and to come to school every day , '' he said . The students knew Obama would speak to them from the stage during their graduation ceremony , but the president surprised them by visiting them in their holding room prior to the ceremony . The students , bedecked in green-and-yellow caps and gowns , erupted in applause and tears of joy when the president appeared to tell them how inspired he was with their accomplishment of graduating high school . `` A lot of you had to struggle to get here . Most of you were n't born with a silver spoon in your mouth , '' he told them . `` What you have shown is determination , what you have shown is character , what you have shown is a willingness to work hard , and the ability to steer clear of folks that were trying to send you down the wrong path . '' The students earned the visit from Obama by winning the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge , a high school competition in its second year in which high school students write essays and create videos to show how their school is innovative in education . `` In the face of all odds against them succeeding , they are succeeding . That represents the American spirit at it 's best , '' said Kriner Cash , Memphis superintendent of schools .
Student : ` ` I gave Barack Obama a hug , '' a student proclaims . The narrator travels to Texas to address students at a high school . He surprises them with a speech prior to their graduation ceremony . Booker T. Washington High was the winner of the Race to the Top competition .