| For immediate release May 26, 2010 |
Contact:
Andrea Woodhouse, SCCOE Phone: (408) 453-6824 |
County AVID program sees nearly
500 college-bound grads
SAN JOSE, CA – A record 488 college-bound seniors from 21 Santa Clara County high schools served by the Advancement Via Individual Determination program will be recognized at 3:30 p.m. May 19 at the AVID Senior Recognition at San Jose's landmark Mexican Heritage Plaza. See event photos.
The graduates spent several years studying under AVID, which provides rigorous college-preparatory curriculum, tutoring and counseling to promising middle school and high school students who might not otherwise consider attending college.
The program is coordinated through the Santa Clara County Office of Education at 87 schools in the region with more expected to be included next year.
Virtually all local AVID graduates this year have earned admission to campuses of the University of California, California State University, community colleges or private institutions throughout the country. Many students defeated hurdles to succeed in the AVID program, and some will become the first in their family to attend college.
"Being part of the AVID program has not only taught me to push myself far beyond the realm of what I once thought impossible, but to dream and set goals that I knew I could one day achieve," said Kaitlyn Flores, a Fremont High School graduate.
Said Luis Hernandez, a Mountain View High graduate, "Although I had a rough start, AVID guided me on my college course, and also molded my values and the person I wish to become."
Many graduates have earned various scholarships, including two students respectively from Gilroy and Los Altos high schools who have been named Dell Scholars. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation-sponsored program provides each scholar with a $20,000 scholarship, as well as technology, networking, resources and mentoring support to ensure they obtain a college degree.
This year's graduates hail from 21 county schools: Yerba Buena, Wilcox, Sobrato, Santa Clara, Silver Creek, Prospect, Piedmont, Palo Alto, Overfelt, Mountain View, Mount Pleasant, Monta Vista, Milpitas, Los Altos, Leigh, Independence, Homestead, Gilroy, Fremont, and Cupertino high schools, as well as Accel Middle College, which is a cooperative program between East Side Union High School District and Evergreen Valley College.
AVID celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and the SCCOE launched the program in 1992. The office's first Senior Recognition in 1998 recognized 77 graduates.
To learn more about AVID, visit http://www.regionvavid.org.
Date last updated: May 26, 2010
