CABRERA: We’re here with?

JEFTE DIAZ: Mr. Diaz. 

CABRERA: And what is the AVID College Fair? 

DIAZ: The AVID Middle College College Fair is something that I want to be an opportunity for the community in the sense that it will allow our AVID 9 students to inform the public or people that come out and support. To have a wider array of understanding of their options or their children’s options or their family members’ options for higher education. 

CABRERA: How did it all begin? 

DIAZ: Well last year I was here for the second semester at Middle College and there was another AVID teacher on campus and we had heard of something called the Symposium project but at the time because there was two AVID 9 teachers. We kind of made it a point to make something that was only for the freshmen instead of having a blended Symposium and also out of respect for Mrs. Holte because she’s awesome and she was doing Symposium with the 10th graders. So we put heads together, and I actually worked in an inclusion classroom a few years ago, meaning students that were newcomers and were learning English, and it was a very small class and one of the projects that they did was a mock college fair. It was a very small scale, and it was with you know just construction paper and slides on their laptop, but I kind pitched it to this other AVID teacher as an idea because freshmen don’t really learn that much about college. So I kind worked on what I had seen and capitalized off that, presented it to the other AVID teacher and we agreed to make this the final project, and it turned out really really well, and that’s kind where it got started, and this year I just made it fully my own and we went bigger. We went better and Mrs. Holte helped us with a lot of the materials. So it’s just like a stepping stone into Symposium for 10th grade. 

CABRERA: And what expectations do you have for your students?

DIAZ: Well, first off I want them to use this as a learning experience because they’re gonna probably have this be one the first few times in their, you know educational career where they’re talking to people who maybe they haven’t really met before but they’re not only talking to them. They’re informing them about the school that they chose to do research on. So, I really expect my students to delve deep into the information that they’re sharing with the community because I also see this as a service that the kids are going to be able to provide for people of Santa Ana or for people in SAUSD. I expect my students to also have fun and enjoy the power that they have with this opportunity, and I say power because they’re to going to be able to influence the people who attend in of like what schools they may want to attend or they’ll learn something that didn’t know about an institution, and it change their perspective or even their goals in life. So, I’m really excited for my students to have that amount of weight to what they do. 

CABRERA: And what is the goal of the AVID College Fair? 

DIAZ: Well, I kind of touched on it right now. But the goal is mainly to inform; our community doesn’t really have that much access or knowledge about a higher education or at least in my experience,  parents or families really would like to know more, and sometimes they learn about it when it’s a little too late, or you sometimes you never know a school even existed or was out there, and you learn about it later on in and would been such a great fit. So the goal of this college fair is to really inform people in our community that don’t have access to these things every single day and make this a learning experience for everyone– the students, the people that attend, even Middle College students that go and support our AVID 9 class because they may be right in the middle of trying to figure out what school they want to go to for four years or what will be the right fit for them. 

CABRERA: And anything you would like to add?

DIAZ: I like to give a huge shout out to the AVID 9 class because they’re doing phenomenal. Last year we did it but it was a lot smaller in scale. We did it in the village, and now we’re going to be on the second floor of the Johnson Center. So I hope that they have a blast because it will prepare them for the Symposium which is actually the following day. Shout out Holte. Shout out AVID 10, go and support the Symposium and that’s pretty much it. I hope that it’s a great turn out. I’m super excited for this to be hopefully what is not the last Middle College College Fair, but I want to say that I’m immensely proud of my students because I don’t feel like I’m coming to work every day that see them, you know dedicating the time and the creativity and the artistry behind these tri-folds and their projects and I want them to know that that doesn’t go unnoticed. Even if they don’t hear it every single day or even if you feel like a lot of stuff is getting backed up. I appreciate it and the community and students will appreciate what they’re doing even more. So go Middle College College Fair!

CABRERA: Thank you.

CABRERA: Hi, we’re here with..

BENJAMIN JIMENEZ: Benjamin Jimenez. 

ASHLEY SANCHEZ: Ashley Sanchez.

ISAIAH MARMOLEJO: Isaiah Marmalejo.

CABRERA: How do you feel about the AVID College Fair? 

JIMENEZ: I think it’s going to present a lot of opportunities and introduce like the younger ones that are gonna come and visit to like the world of colleges. It’s very, you know it’s very you know skibidy skibidy. 

CABRERA: And what school did you choose and get? 

SANCHEZ: Um, we well it was our second choice we chose Notre Dame, and that’s what we got because I don’t know we wanted UCI because it had a program for all of our career paths, but we just chose Notre Dame because I don’t think anybody else was gonna choose it, and it’s a great school. 

CABRERA: And how is the process going?

SANCHEZ: It’s going pretty good I guess, and we haven’t had that time to work on it since you know Diaz gave us like three days, but it’s okay. It’s going pretty good. I mean we have quite a bit to go but we’re gonna get there, trust, we’re gonna eat. 

CABRERA: And what did you have planned for the day of?

MARMOLEJO: So really we’re just gonna kind of go for it, for we’re gonna you know present off our heads and try and get people engaged and teach them about the school and see how many opportunities there are and hopefully get them to you know enroll in it. That’s pretty much the main goal. 

CABRERA: And anything you guys would like to add? 

SANCHEZ: Um not really.

CABRERA: Okay. Thank you. 

CABRERA: That’s the end of the podcast. Thank you for tuning into our podcast this semester. Bye. 

CABRERA: And now time for some bloopers.

CABRERA: Hi were here with?

DIAZ: Mr. Diaz

CABRERA: And what is the AVID college fair?

DIAZ: The AVID college fair is chat, facts, on god, cap. I’m just kidding.