ACPS Families Learn to Prepare for College at AVID Event

The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) family event held on Sat., March 18, 2023, was much more than just informational — it brought students, families, teachers, tutors and program administrators together at Alexandria City High School (ACHS).

The event began with a breakfast in which families were engaged in learning how AVID supports college and career opportunities, rigorous high school courses that can prepare students for college and small steps for saving money now that can help to alleviate financial stress later.

Luis Alejandro Rodriguez is a junior at ACHS who is part of the school’s AVID program.

“AVID has been one of the greatest programs I’ve ever joined, it’s become an essential class for me," Rodriguez said. “Teachers that work with AVID have a great way of connecting with students, and that definitely helps — having somebody to go to, and it’s definitely helped me through my high school years.”

AVID is a college readiness program at Alexandria City Public School (ACPS) in which students and their families can receive mentoring and college access resources, financial aid information and hone the skills it takes to be a more competitive college applicant after high school. Students receive AVID support through an elective class starting in middle school up through high school graduation.

“What we do is teach students a whole host of skills and strategies that are not only academic in nature, but they’re also self-management strategies, how to become organized, how to use your time wisely, and these are skills that we all need for life," Jodie Peters, AVID district director, said. “This is vital in order for students to know what they want in their career, and so they have choices in the workforce and have a job that they love.”

All discussions at the Saturday event were interpreted in Spanish, Dari, Amharic and Arabic to provide a more inclusive experience for families in their native languages.

“Being able to make students feel comfortable around me allows me to develop different depths in my relationships with them," Laura Funes Quiñonez, ninth grade AVID tutor, explained. “Not only to help them academically, but help them personally.”

Some students such as Michelle Barahona Urrutia have implemented the skills they learned in AVID after college. Barahona Urrutia started taking the class in seventh grade.

“How to apply real-life skills such as writing a resume, networking — it’s helped me find my path and set goals and find ways to accomplish those goals,” she said. “I love the AVID program.”

To learn all about AVID and the support that students are offered through the program, visit its webpage.