Every action a person makes impacts their future. Students wanting to discover new possibilities for life after high school may be interested in joining Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). AVID is a program designed to make learning engaging by connecting caring teachers with interested students.

AVID Alumni are four times more likely to graduate college than their non-AVID peers. AVID’s success is attributed to college-readiness guides and compassionate teachers.

For Azle Alumna Baily Ayala, AVID built a framework of organizational skills that have helped her succeed in college.

“I noticed from people not in the AVID program, they had no structure academically,” Ayala said. “Messy backpacks and missing assignments. Myself and my AVID peers were more organized.”

Baily cites planners as a key to success.

“I used to hate having a planner. It felt useless,” she said. “[My AVID teachers] helped us have planners all four years, and I always knew when an assignment was due and what events were happening.”

When comparing herself to her other non-AVID alumnus peers, Baily noticed the difference.

“With college students that aren’t in AVID, they’re more loose,” she said. “I still keep stuff in check, and it got better. Once you start taking hard classes, you’ll see how useful planners are–and have fun with it.”

Baily is currently studying business administration management at Western Governors University. She was part of the first graduating class of AVID students at AHS last year.

When Senior Mace Alonso joined AVID, they had already been taking college-readiness courses at their old charter school. Their story unfolds a little differently than Baily’s.

“When I transferred to Azle, they said we don’t have a college prep class, only AVID,” Alonso said. “I said sure, why not? That first year, I cried all the time. I was very depressed.”

Despite a relatively dark first year, AVID shined a light on Mace’s future possibilities. Alonso comes from a family where their dad was the first to graduate college.

“Being able to break that cycle of not knowing enough and not doing enough really helps your situation,” Mace said. “AVID made me feel like maybe there is a chance, even if I didn’t see it the way others did.”

A vital part of AVID’s success as a national program can be attributed to emphasizing the importance of caring and involved teachers. This philosophy rings true for Mace.

“Mrs. Coffey always had a welcoming attitude and knew the struggles I was going through,” Mace said. “Thank you Mrs. Coffey for being patient with that awkward shy little kid who never seemed to have their head on right.”

With AVID teacher Sarah Milosh’s encouragement, Mace submitted and was a semi-finalist at the National Amateur Poetry Competition.

“Mrs. Milosh has always been adamant that I can do a lot more than I think I can,” Mace said. “I was like, ‘Maybe if they see me like this, then there’s a sliver of hope I could be like this.’”

In the fall, Mace will attend BYU Idaho to study accounting and literature. They credit AVID as a key part of their high school journey, both the teachers and courses.

“Even if you’re not going to college, joining AVID and working hard like you’re going to is going to set you up for something great,” Mace said. “Not just for yourself, but for your children and their children.“