AVID Advancement Via

AVID

PROVEN ACHIEVEMENT lifelong advantage

Emily Constantino Alissa Galaviz

Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, is a program designed to provide professional learning for students seeking to close opportunity gaps and improve college and career readiness. The program traditionally assists underrepresented students as they apply for scholarships, gain college credits, and enroll in more rigorous classes such as dual credit, Advanced Placement, and Honors classes. Last year, the AVID program was also extended down to students at the junior high to begin preparing these students even earlier.

The AVID program is vital for ensuring the students who want to attend college have the skills needed to apply. The college application and admission process can be daunting, and many of our graduates are first generation college students with little previous home knowledge of the necessary steps.

Recent GHS graduate Emily Constantino is a first generation college student from a single parent household. “I had no clue how it would be to apply to college, so I needed as much help and support as possible,” Emily said. Every one of the 2021 AVID graduates successfully applied and were accepted into their top two college choices, and many were accepted into their top three.

The four-year AVID program proved to set Emily up for success. She was accepted into OSU, Tarleton, and OU and received nearly $200,000 in scholarships. The scholarships are plentiful for these students based on their demographics combined with grades and test scores. It’s the AVID program which helps them find those scholarships and apply.

Many students begin high school not knowing what their plans are going to be for the future. Alissa Galaviz said, “I knew that I had to at least try because none of my family members went to college. I wanted to make my mom and dad proud, and I have been working hard on academics and soccer to get where I am today.”

GHS had 97 students enrolled in the program for the 2020-2021 school year, and that number continues to grow. Many of the students stay with AVID for all four years because of the many benefits, and continuing to increase the retention rate is a goal for the AVID program. Each year, the program gets closer to this goal, with 17 students having completed at least their third year in AVID. Another shorter term goal of the program is to have 100% of all AVID students earn all of the credits attempted each semester.

Emily and Alissa have both been in the program all four years of high school, benefitting from learning how to effectively take notes, stay organized with their school work, and stay on top of their grades with weekly grade checks. Another advantage for the AVID students is the tutorial sessions provided to ensure that they can improve grades and their overall college appeal. Emily’s academic scholarships and grades have allowed her to attend Oklahoma State University, where she will major in business and become a real estate agent.

Alissa’s hard work on the soccer field and in the classroom earned her an athletic scholarship to Southeastern Community College in Iowa. While playing for the team, she will pursue her education to become an athletic trainer and hopes to eventually come back to Gainesville to be a trainer for the school district.

“AVID has helped to prepare me for the next chapter in my life,” Alissa said.