Everybody wants more vacation and this year the AVID students were fortunate enough to have an extended Spring Break. The annual AVID trip provides students the opportunity to go visit five schools in Southern California – UCLA, CSULB, UCSB, USC, and Cal Poly. The purpose of the trip was both expose students to different colleges and to give them the experience of seeing another city and being out in the world away from home.

In order for the trip to become a reality, the group needed to raise $10,000 for 58 students for those three days.  Raising the money wasn’t at all easy for the students, although it was made somewhat easier thanks to $2500 from prior club funds. The AVID students also received help from the rotary who helped pay the location of the crab dinner, the PAL Armory Hall. The crab dinner was by far one of the most successful fundraisers. In the end the students were able to meet their fundraising goal so that the students that attended didn’t have to pay out of their pocket.

Diana Huerta, the junior AVID teacher, only chose eligible students to go on the trip. It was decided based on grades and the responsibility of turning in the paperwork and deposit of $50 total on time. In the end, the students received their deposit back to be used on food during the trip. Another factor to be eligible was to have had participated in all fundraisers and their citizenship grade. “It was important because we wanted to make sure that the schools were realistic options for students that attended,” said Huerta.

The trip started out with a visit to Cal Poly. While at Cal Poly the group received a tour from students there. They took the students on a tour of the campus, showing the different buildings for their different majors. After the tour, the students took a lunch break at the campus. ”I liked Cal Poly because of their competitive engineering program. I pictured myself going there, and it was a cool experience,” said Joseph Montesclaros. Then they visited UC Santa Barbara where they met the coordinator for outreach programs for UC Santa Barbara to talk to them about the college. After that, they went to the beach for pizza where it was really windy and cold but they still had a great time. “It was fun because I was with my boy Rito and we were just there chilling we were throwing the football around and Mrs. Huerta was there trying to throw the football and even though it was cold we were hot because of all the running we were doing and it was just a really cool environment all the AVID kids hanging out because we don’t really get to do that,” said Jesus Vasquez.

The next day the students went to UCLA where Alisal alumni, Alma Alvarado and Jesse Garcia showed them around. “The thing I liked most about the campus was how big it was and everyone seemed so social and friendly. I believe that the Alisal alumni that are there are there because they deserved it and worked hard for it, it definitely inspired me,” said Andrea Mendoza. Next was USC, where they received a great informational tour that talked about the benefits of applying to private schools and opportunities for financial assistance to first generation college students. “ I liked the friendly environment of the campus, the tour guys were very welcoming and friendly and they encouraged me to want to apply to that university,” said Rosalba Saavedra.

Later that day, they went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, and after that they went to an Anaheim Ducks hockey game. “My experience at the hockey game was more than what I had expected,” said Yoali Ramos. “I really enjoyed it not only because it was my first hockey game but also because I cherished the moment with my classmates the feeling of being acquainted to those who you grew up with throughout the school year made it one hundred times more fun and memorable.”

The last day was spent at Cal State Long Beach and they finally headed home where they took a quick stop along the way in Paso Robles to eat.  “As a teacher I felt that the trip was a big success and I hope that the students feel the same way. We had a lot of fun. I learned a lot about college, how much juniors like to eat, and how bad LA traffic is,” said sophomore AVID teacher Alex Lanctot.

The trip made the students aware of what it’s like to be a college student and see opportunities that are open for them and show them that going to those universities can be possible. Valentina Estrada said, “I learned that there are a lot of opportunities in the LA area. There are not only amazing colleges and campuses to look at but they’re also a lot of opportunities to find internships and jobs right out of college and the whole environment of LA is really amazing. The trip was awesome, I had such a good time and it was so impactful on my life.” Isaiah Linares said, “I felt the trip was an eye opening experience because It got me out of my comfort bubble that I am used to here in Salinas. I learned what it takes to be a competitive student/applicant.”