Del Campo AVID Students Meet State Leaders

Two of met with state leaders to share their experiences in the AVID program, officials announced.

Austin Heritage and Alyssa Van Brasch were AVID students throughout high school and credit the program with helping them meet their college goals, according to a district release. AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a program that assists underserved youths in the academic middle to prepare them for college.

Last month, 's budget had proposed eliminating all funding for AVID statewide – and the two Del Campo seniors got the opportunity to make their case for the program directly to state lawmakers, San Juan officials said. AVID funding was restored in state lawmakers’ proposed budget earlier this month and is awaiting the governor’s approval.

Heritage and Van Brasch testified before a subcommittee of state senators, sharing their stories of how they have benefited from AVID.

“Without this program, I would be another statistic,” Van Brasch told lawmakers, according to the SJUSD. “A girl raised in a bad neighborhood, with an uneducated family, destined to be poor and pregnant before 18. AVID rescued me from that life. It gave me the opportunity to create my own ending.”

Van Brasch will be attending Sonoma State University in the fall and Heritage is attending California State University, Sacramento, SJUSD officials said.

“No matter how small you think you are,” Heritage said of his experience at the Capitol, “you can always be heard, and people will listen.”

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