College Trips (Avid)

Shelly Springer is one of the three avid teachers on the Santa Maria High School campus. She seems to really deeply care, about seeing her students going to college. She refers to them as “my kids,” instead of students, it’s like hearing a mother who cares about her kids.

To give a little brief about Mrs.Springer is that she grew up with parents who went to college, and her parents, parents who went to college, so you can say it’s a generational thing in her family.

She wants kids who have not been to college or whose parents didn’t go to college to start a generational process, leading to an upward climb for themselves. She wants them to be able to go to a 4-year university right after high school.

If you’re in avid or want to take avid classes, you’re basically in that class specifically because you plan in going to college, even if you don’t know much about college, you can learn more about it in those avid classes.

I asked her what’s the experience she wants her students to gain from those trips. She said she wants them to visualize themselves on those campuses.

“Each campus has a different personality, just like our students they all have a different personality, we want them to find a school that they vibe with- that they can relate too.” said Shelly Springer.

She also said that some students go to a campus and feel out of place as if they don’t belong to that college. And sometimes you don’t know that after you committed to that school. And so I asked one of my friend who’s was in Avid if she found what college she wanted to go to, or colleges she visited that stood out to her.

“Thanks to the field trips, I got to know what colleges I wanted to go to, and which ones I didn’t want to go to. I’m the type of person that likes nature, and when I went to UC Davis it was what like so beautiful, so full of nature. I said I need to go to this school!” said Jenny Ramirez.

I also asked her why is it important for Avid kids to go visit these college trips. Well, Since they signed up for avid and said they w to go to a 4-year university after high school. They want to go for sure but need help in trying to achieve that goal, which is being able to go to college.

“So that’s our job as avid teachers to help them to get them in where they want to go. The importance of  visting those colleges, to see what they’re like. And really imagine what it’ll be like as an adult at college by themselves witout teachers.” said Mrs. Springer.

I got to interview another avid student on how she felt about the colleges she visited.

“Aside visting college trips, you get to learn about other stuff to be prepared for college. Finding out what they had to offer and didn’t offer. It helped me have a understanding whether I would fit in with the campus or not.” said Alexa.

It’s good to have an idea and have the experience of what that school is going to be like before you go to that college. That’s why they have these College Avid Trips. She wants them to be prepared, and be able to go to their dream college, especially with the help of these avid teachers.