On May 20, families and teachers gathered to celebrate the result of years of hard work for seniors in the Advancement Via Individual Determination program who showed their achievements and growth and hard work throughout the years.
The special night gave families a chance to see their children’s dedication towards studies and how the program’s strict requirements paid off.
“The most exciting part of being at the AVID Awards Night is celebrating the AVID seniors and their families for all of their achievements,” said Vicky Braithwaite, the school’s AVID coordinator.
While the night was a celebration, getting there was not easy. Senior student Niarah Aimonetti explained how the pressure of the last four years made the recognition feel much more meaningful.
“It feels good because, like, we work hard all four years just to get to this point, and it’s just nice to be recognized for it,” Aimonetti said.
Senior student Alexa Campos Castro pointed out some rules that served as a constant push to keep students from falling behind.
“You do need to maintain good grades to be in AVID. If you’re failing your classes, they will kick you out of AVID, so it’s like an extra pressure to remind myself that I need to do well in my other classes,” Campos Castro said.
To survive that pressure and keep her grades high enough to graduate, Campos Castro had to change how she organized her daily life.
“I got a planner that prioritized putting a to-do list and made due dates less intrusive, which allowed me to just use it more constantly,” Campos Castro said.
Managing time well is just one piece of advice the graduates wanted to leave behind.
Looking back on their high school journeys, both seniors shared lessons to help younger students handle the difficult application process.
Campos Castro warned future seniors not to make the same mistake she did with financial aid deadlines.
“I made the mistake of just focusing on applying for college and being like, I’ll worry about scholarships later, and didn’t apply for any scholarships, so I didn’t get any scholarships,” Campos Castro said.
Aimonetti connected to this idea, adding that succeeding in the program means relying on the community around you when things get tough.
“You just want to have positive interactions with people, and trying your best helps you live life to the fullest and get the most out of everything you’re doing,” Aimonetti said.
As these seniors prepare to leave for college, Braithwaite noted that the ultimate goal of AVID is to create lifelong habits of self-improvement and open-mindedness.
“My one piece of advice is to say yes to things and take every opportunity they get. I expect them all to learn new things about the world around them and learn new things about themselves as well,” said Braithwaite.
