Aragon’s Advancement Via Individual Determination program went on a field trip to tour colleges in Southern California from March 3 to March 5.
The program, founded at Aragon in 2005, was created to guide students through high school and toward college by helping them build skill sets to enable them for academic success.
“There’s a number … [of] our AVID students [who] have been the first to graduate high school, let alone the first to go to college,” said Donald Bush, one of the founders of AVID at Aragon. “They don’t have an advocate at home everyday telling them … how to get on that path to college.”
To further help students on their journey to higher education, the AVID curriculum includes an annual field trip to colleges, alternating between touring schools in northern and southern California. Students of all grades attend the northern California trip, but only sophomores and juniors attend the overnight trip to tour southern California colleges.
During the pandemic, AVID tours were canceled, and this was the first trip since February of 2019. An overnight trip with 51 students, as well as traveling by bus, raised many COVID-19 concerns.
“I thought that for sure [the District was] going to put a stop to it,” said English and AVID teacher Tiffany Chiaro. “There’s a lot of fear … that someone would get sick under my watch, or that it wasn’t going to happen at all.”
Despite the concerns, students were able to tour UC Merced, Fresno State, Loyola Marymount University and UCLA, as well as visit Disneyland.
“I [was] excited to see four different campuses [and] four different communities,” said junior Lali Gomez. “Having these experiences helps [you] know what you want or don’t want in a college.”
Multiple students felt that touring these universities in person helped them figure out what they valued in a school.
“Before, I thought I just wanted to go to a school that offered nursing programs,” said junior Kristen Salazar. “But now, I consider the benefits the university has, [such as the] types of meals they offer [and] the appearance of the school.”
Others felt as if it motivated them for their future and to apply to college.
“It made [college] feel more tangible,” said sophomore Aimar Cruz Parada. “We talk about college as this thing you’ll see in the distant future, but getting to go on this field trip made me realize that this is it. This is what I’ll get to experience.”
Aragon alumni and current UCLA student Ryan Talvola led tours for AVID students.
“Ms. Daniel reached out to me, and I was excited to give back to my community,” Talvola said. “One thing I wished I had more of as a high school student … was an adulterated chat with actual college students, being able to pick their brains. Sometimes the most meaningful insights are the ones delivered most casually, not rehearsed or prepared.”
For AVID students, the trip helped students gain a sense of independence, learn more about college life and experience different communities.
