AVIDThe First of Many

Mt. Eden High School · Hayward, CA · Hayward Unified School District (HUSD)

Someone believed in them. Now their family's story is changing.

AVID exists so that a student's future doesn't depend on where they were born or who came before them. For students who are often the first in their families to go to college, AVID is someone in their corner every step of the way. What felt impossible for one generation becomes possible for the next.

Give to the AVID Fund See how it works
Where AVID takes students 4-year universities Community college & transfer Trades & apprenticeships Military Straight to a career

How it works

Every student needs at least one adult who believes in them.

Research on resilience keeps finding the same thing. Young people who do well despite serious hardship have had at least one adult who believed in them and supported them, and often several. At AVID, that is a whole team: counselors, teachers, and tutors who know each student by name, believe in what they can do, and back them up at every step.

“Every child who winds up doing well has had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult.”
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Supportive Relationships and Active Skill-Building Strengthen the Foundations of Resilience, Working Paper No. 13 (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2015). Read the report

The adults in their corner

  • Monique Walton
  • Tyler Tomei
  • All the AVID teachers
  • Terrance Christianson
  • John Zentner
  • …and the list goes on.

And it's been working

In their own words

Notes from Mt. Eden students to the adults who believed in them. Tap any note to read the whole thing.

I'm so lucky to have gotten you as my counselor these past 4 years of my high school journey, and appreciate you for being one of the only adults in my life to really care about my future.
Four years, one counselor
Thank you for always believing in me.
A turnaround
You helped me in a time where I was just very overwhelmed.You were the only one I could trust and when you just listened, it meant so much.
When someone listened
I also want to thank you for … believing in me even when I don't believe in myself.
From an AVID student
I appreciate… you for always making me feel understood.I feel safe to always come by and talk to you about anything, and whenever I'm struggling with something, you always find a way to help me.
A safe place
Sisters, too
I just want to take the time to thank you for all the things you do to make us students at Mt. Eden feel comfortable here.Not only that but being the person us students talk to when we're down.
On the hard days
I have known you for several years now, and I think now is a good time for you to know how much you matter to my high school career.
Several years now
When I couldn't decide

Students' names have been covered.

Add your note

Graduates and current students: who believed in you? Notes are reviewed before they're posted.

The First of Many

Stories from students who've walked the path

Current AVID students interview graduates about college, careers, and everything they wish they'd known. Each story has a short highlight and the full conversation.

These are placeholders. Real interviews will appear here as they're filmed and edited.

About AVID

How AVID helps students plan what comes next

AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It's a class and a community that helps students build the skills, habits, and confidence to succeed in college and careers, especially students who will be the first in their families to go.

Every AVID class is built around five skills students practice every day:

WWritingWriting to learn, from Cornell notes to personal statements
IInquiryAsking good questions and working through tough problems
CCollaborationLearning together in tutorials and study groups
OOrganizationBinders, planners, deadlines, and goals
RReadingReading closely to understand and remember

College visits

Students see campuses for themselves and picture where they belong.

Applications & financial aid

Step-by-step help with college applications, FAFSA and CADAA, and scholarships.

Career pathways

Exploring trades, apprenticeships, the military, and jobs alongside college.

Counseling group

A small group where students set goals, talk through challenges, and support each other.

Tutorials

Students bring a question they're stuck on and solve it together with a tutor.

Inside our counseling group

Short clips of what we do together. Shared with students' permission.

The AVID Fund

Be the one who believes in the next student.

Every student in these notes had adults who believed in them and supported them. Research shows that kind of support is what helps young people do well despite hardship. Your gift keeps AVID's team of counselors, teachers, and tutors in place, year after year, for the students who come next.

When one student goes further than their family ever had the chance to, the whole family's story changes, for generations.

College visits

Bus fare, BART tickets, and lunch so every student can go.

Application costs

Help with application and testing fees.

Supplies

Binders, planners, and materials for the year.

Celebrations

Recognizing seniors as they head off to what's next.

Give to the AVID Fund

Impact examples are placeholders until amounts are confirmed.

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Add your story