RIMS AVID Student Silvana Vasquez

Silvana Vasquez, a former AVID student from San Gorgonio High School, shared her journey from San Bernardino to Harvard University. She joined AVID in her freshman year, and benefitted from the time management, organizational skills, and WICOR strategies that she learned in her AVID classes. Silvana's dream of attending Harvard began in fifth grade and was fueled by her AVID teachers' support. She faced challenges, including a rigorous application process with personal essays and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Silvana's acceptance to Harvard was a significant achievement, especially as the first member of her family to attend college. She plans to study Government and Pre-Law, aiming to become a politician and potentially the first female Hispanic president of the United States.

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

Silvana, Kelli, Stephanie

Silvana  00:00

I t doesn't matter what environment you come from or where you start. I mean, what matters is that you push yourself through and you get there. That's what matters.

Stephanie  00:11

Hey, AVID family. This is Stephanie Downey,

Kelli  00:13

and I'm Kelly Hogan Flowers from RIMS AVID

Stephanie  00:15

And you're listening to the rims AVID Roundtable, the podcast where we discuss all things AVID. On this podcast, we'll sit down with a special guest to talk about their AVID journey. They will tell their story and explain what makes them an AVID rock star. They will share their ideas, best practices and strategies that they've learned along the way.

Kelli  00:32

Our guest today is the perfect way to start off season three of the podcast. Teachers, this is definitely an episode you'll want to share with your students and your administration, because today's guest is proof of what happens when a student exercises that individual determination we talk so much about. Silvana Vasquez is an AVID student who graduated last year from San Gregornio High School in San Bernardino. In the upcoming weeks, this bright young lady is headed to Harvard University. Today, she will share a little bit of her story about how a little girl from Berdoo got accepted to one of the nation's most prestigious and universities. We know you're leaving next week for college, so we really appreciate you taking the time to come in and share your story. So welcome to the podcast. Silvana Vasquez,

Silvana  01:24

 hi, thank you so much. This is truly an honor speaking in the AVID program. Thank you.

Kelli  01:30

We're so excited to have you. So for starters, we really want to know about your history with AVID we want to know about your AVID journey. And I will tell you, normally, we have this long list of questions that we have for our guests, but essentially, we want to hear your avid story. We want to know how, how on earth did you get here

Silvana  01:52

So AVID? I didn't really grow up with it elementary school or middle school. It was more in high school, when I started into the AVID program. My freshman year, I started off withAVID you know, it was more of like it was, it wasn't strict. It was more of like very well established curriculum where the teacher got to help us learn more about time management, organization, being on time, those type of topics that help you in the in the long run, especially when you're applying for jobs or your career for like, literally, university interviews as well. And so then my junior and senior year, I continued with AVID I just had a different teacher, and that teacher was a little bit looser in the sense that he wanted us to apply what we learned the first two years into our junior senior year alone. So we wanted to see how we were able to incorporated what we learned our freshman and sophomore year into our junior senior year with again, time management and being able to have that organization in class and outside of class. 

Kelli  02:55

And so you started with AVID. Did you? Did you seek out AVID, or did they come to you?

Silvana  03:01

So I my before my freshman year eighth grade, we were given a list of the classes that were offered, and I didn't know I was going to take AVID until I talked to my friend group. It was two of us, and we were talking about AVID, and they were like, you know, I think AVID is a great program, especially because we didn't grow up with it. So I, you know, I decided to take AVID. I was like, we read the curriculum, we read what they offered, and we thought this was the best way to make use of our high school time. And so that's how we decided AVID. 

Stephanie  03:29

Okay so Harvard University kind of a big deal. Just a little bit, just a little bit. Can you tell us about the process for getting accepted? What did it take? And how did you get there?

Silvana  03:42

Oh, I don't even know where to begin. I will say I started my freshman year. I mean, I'll go back to fifth grade, actually, fifth grade. My fifth grade teacher actually signed us a state to investigate. And so I chose Massachusetts. And so when I chose Massachusetts, I was investigating the State, I was investigating the cities, and I saw Harvard, and I was investigating Harvard. I was looking at it, and I was like, Oh my gosh. Like, this is amazing. Like, this is what I want to do. And keep in mind, I had no idea what the college process was. I had no idea that I had to, like, do some questions, some essays. I had no idea. I was just like, I want to go there. And for seven years, that was my goal, to Harvard, that, I mean, I knew that I wanted to go to Harvard. And my freshman year, I the first meeting I had was with my counselor, and he asked me, What is your goal coming out of high school? And I told him, I want to get into Harvard. And he was like, Are you serious? Like, you know, like, are you crazy? And I'm like, like, I want to get into Harvard. And he and my AVID teacher, Dr Adams, they both like pushed me to do as much as I can so I can get into Harvard academic and extracurricular wise, my counselor, Mr. Barkley, I mean, he had to endure everything that I had to like, every mental breakdown that I had about Harvard and all of this, all of that, but the. College process was completely different than what I thought. When I opened the Harvard application, they asked me for like, five short paragraphs, three little short response answers, and then one essay that was like, the max of 530 words. It was super stressful, but at the same time, it felt like they were kind of hearing me, because the questions that they were asking were very personal. They were like, you know, what makes you want to study what you're studying? And I just, I was able to kind of express myself, and that's what I liked about the Harvard application process. But I was very stressed because I was doing all of this, and then I had a four AP classes, and then I wasn't extracurriculars, I was doing sports. So it just kind of all built up. But I knew that it was for the better. I knew that it was worth it, because I realized that this was my future. You know, this however it application meant I was gonna go or not. And, you know, I mean, it's a 3% chance rate. So I had no I, you know, I was like, I had no hope. I was like, You know what? I'm going to apply, and if I get in, I get in, if not, then it's okay. I get it, you know. So March comes around. It's March 28 and it's 4pm and all of the Ivy's came out. And so I'm like, Okay, we're gonna open Harvard first, and Harvard, it's like, loading. It takes like, five minutes to load, because everyone's trying to open them, and it says, Out of admission status update. And so I'm panicking. I'm like, Oh my gosh. Like, this is, this doesn't feel real. And then I'm pressing it. I'm hiding the screen. I'm telling my mom, you can look at it, not me. I had this feeling that, you know, I'm not gonna get in. Like, it's okay if I don't, and then the first word that it says is congratulations. And I'm jumping out. I'm like, Oh my gosh. Like, there's no way. Like, I'm like, jumping, I'm screaming. I'm like, there's tears, there's tears from my mom, there's like, tears from all of us. And that's when it kind of like, hit me, like, Oh my gosh. Like, this has been my dream for seven years, and to realize that it finally happened, it just feels amazing. And so many people say that I manifested it, but I don't think I manifested it. I just put in the work and I discipline myself to get to where I'm at right now, and that's what I tell students. You know, if you want to achieve a goal, you have to put in the work for it. You can't just say you want to do it, but you're not showing the results. It's like planting the seed, but you're not really putting in the effort with water and sun into it. So,

Stephanie  07:15

very good analysis.

Kelli  07:19

You're right. It's about the work, and

Stephanie  07:21

that's such an AVID thing, too, right? Is that you said Individual Determination. I remember you mentioned that when we first talked with you, too, is this, and it's there, like you have to actually put that work in, like you can't, because we all have dreams and goals, right? But it's people that are working at it and not giving up. And you did something that was really hard and could have easily been a no was, you know, and you went for it. And I think that's takes a lot of courage.

Kelli  07:42

It could have easily been a no, and it was no for most people.

Silvana  07:45

Yeah, it was. And when I talk about that individual determination, I don't just mean academic. Of course, it's good to have all A's, but you also have to show that you're putting in the passion for your concentration and your major outside of school, you know. And so going off with the question that you asked, What did I do? Because I'm planning on studying government and pre law, I focused a lot on working with my city council, with the Board of Supervisors. I was student board member for my district. Those things actually helped me realize the more passion I have to serve my community and to serve the nation, ideally, because that's my goal in the future. And so when I say to have that individual determination, it's academic, extracurricular wise.

Kelli  08:29

So you touched a little bit just then on your career aspirations, but we know you're going to do pre law Silvana. What is it that you want to do? 

08:37

Yeah, so after I graduate from law school, I'd love to become an immigration lawyer, hopefully become a politician, come back to my city, but ideally, I do want to become the first female president of the United States, first female Hispanic.

Kelli  08:53

And we already have our deal about the ambassadorship for me. Okay, we already talked about that. Just want to make sure.

Stephanie  09:01

So what advice would you give a first year avid student? So whether it's middle school or high school, like this is their first year and they're just walking into this, what advice would you give them?

Silvana  09:11

Take advantage of the teacher that you have. There are so many students who just think AVID is just, you know, a way to kind of just relax. It's just an easy "A" it really isn't. You have to work for it, especially because what the teacher teaches you is so helpful. And it's just, it's an amazing resource that will help you in the long run. Again, like I previously stated, my freshman sophomore teacher, many of many people were complaining because she was super strict. She didn't let us use phones, but I think, in my opinion, she was an amazing asset into my fur years, because that period, that one hour, she didn't let us use phones, but it was helpful, because I took, I took advantage of that time to get ahead on the homework, get ahead on anything that I had going on. And by, by the end of that day, I mean, I didn't have any homework, I could go home and read or spend time with my family, because she taught as. That we shouldn't use phones in class. So when you come into an AVID class, have that mentality that it's it's going to be hard, and they're going to teach you things that you might complain about, but at the end of the day, it's going to be super helpful in the long run. When it comes to careers, when it comes to jobs, when it comes to university interviews that you might have, it really does help.

Stephanie  10:21

So on the flip side of that, what advice would you give to a first year AVID teacher?

Silvana  10:25

What an advice that I would give to a first year AVID teacher is keep an open mind about the students. You know, like I said before, students will complain about your rules or stuff like that, but it's because they didn't grow up in an environment like that. Sometimes they may not have had parents that support them, or maybe parents just don't tell them, you know, hey, like, let's you know some some rules, you know what I mean. So parents might just be there and tell them, You know what, you can go ahead and do whatever you want. And maybe that student just needs that support, that help, that attention, that they need in order to succeed, that as a teacher, if they start seeing that a student has like, a certain attitude or just doesn't want to be in that class, they shouldn't just yell at them and tell them, hey, don't, don't use your phone. What have I told you? No, they should have that one on one conversation and let them know what's going on. Like, is there anything that I could do? Like, are you having like, a rough time at home? Is there anything that the school can provide for you so you can feel more at home. Or is there anything that I can like, help you in the sense of, like, can we start off a little bit stronger or, like, a little bit more lenient, that type of thing, because sometimes students just need that extra attention from the teacher, and that teacher will help them lead them in the right direction. 

Kelli  11:38

so kind of building that idea of avid family, 

Silvana  11:41

yes, building the idea of AVID family and that unity between the teacher, the student and the class.

Stephanie  11:46

We love an AVID family.

Kelli  11:48

We always like that. And so speaking of family and support, what? What was it like telling your parents that you'd gotten accepted to Harvard? I mean, your folks must be completely over the moon. What's What's that like for them? 

Silvana  12:03

So, coming from, like, a Hispanic household, of course, they wouldn't want me to go out of the state such, like, at such a young age. Like they were like, You know what? You're either gonna go to UCLA, you're gonna go to the University of Redlands. We don't want you going out of state, you know? And so when I got accepted into Harvard, we were all gathered around my computer, like we were just all looking we were like, Oh my gosh. Like, this cannot be real. But I was just thinking. I was like, What are my parents going to say? You know, like, I will completely understand what they decide, because they're my parents. They want what's best for me. But it took, like my parents, they realized, they realized that Harvard is such a big deal, especially because for seven years, it's been my dream. I mean, my mom in fifth grade, she made me a t shirt saying Harvard. And so she knew how much this meant to me. And so when, when it came down to it, that day that I got in, my parents are like, so are you going to go? And I'm like, Are you guys going to let me? And so we, we sat down and we talked about it, and at the end of the day, we decided, if financial aid shows that it'll be good, my parents don't have to pay anything, I will go. And I told them, you know, it's okay if you guys don't want me to go. Like, I know that sometimes it's hard for you guys, and you know, it's kind of hard for me too, because we're such a close knit family. And so they were like, no, like, I think it's time for you to kind of grow your wings, get out there. And so we talked about it, we said yes. And then two weeks later, I got my financial aid, full tuition, and my parents were like, accept it, and I accept it. And my parents, you know, my parents are super excited. They're, I mean, they have, like, Harvard stickers all over the place. They have the Harvard T shirts, they have the Harvard hoodies, and they're so excited for me to start this new journey. They've seen how much dedication and discipline and motivation I've put into my these past four years, and they realize that it's time for me to kind of get out there and take this advantage. So yeah, 

Stephanie  13:56

and you're the oldest of the children, right? 

Silvana  13:58

I am the oldest, yeah, so it makes it a little harder, yeah, because you're the

Stephanie  14:02

first one to get out of that nest and head out, you know, on your own and, you know, so I'm sure that's, that's a difficult thing to do,

Silvana  14:09

yeah, it is.

Kelli  14:10

and you're the first in your family to go to college, right? 

Silvana  14:12

Yeah I am. First generation, yeah, first person, first. 

Kelli  14:16

Just amazing, amazing.

Silvana  14:18

Yeah.

Kelli  14:20

So where are your folks from? My folks? Okay,

Silvana  14:23

My folks? Okay so they're from Mexico, so they were, they were born there, and then they came here, and I was born here. So yeah,

Kelli  14:29

okay. And then when did you start speaking English?

Silvana  14:32

So it was kind of Rocky. I started learning preschool, but I wasn't it was very limited English. It was in fourth grade when I was reclassified as English learner. So, yeah, yeah,

Kelli  14:44

an English learner until fourth grade. Yeah, and then Harvard, and then Harvard. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Stephanie  14:58

Do you have a favorite AVID. Memories. There's something that just totally stands out for you.

Silvana  15:02

Oh yeah. So I have quite a few. 

Stephanie  15:06

Other than getting into Harvard, obviously.

Silvana  15:09

So freshman and sophomore year, like I said, I had a different teacher. Her name was Miss Tran. She was just amazing. I mean, she the way that she actually helped me manage my time. She was actually the one that kind of helped me get into the whole planner system that I have. I always had a planner, but the way that she just organized everything with like color coding and like organizing my time, the homework that I had, she helped me so much with using my planner more. And I think my favorite memory is when she was just there for me all the time, and then towards the end of the year, she, like she would, she gave me like these, like certificates where it said that I was always organized. And it just pushed me more to realize, you know, she saw the hard work that I put into, and I was just happy that she saw it. And then my junior and senior year, I had Dr Adams. And so my favorite memory from him, from his class, is whenever I would walk in and I had like, a question, or, like, whenever I would annoy him, like, he would always be, like, super intense and be like, Silvana, what are you like? What do you need help on? Like, come on, this is like, your fifth question of the week. And it's just so funny because, like, we just had that bond. Like, when we had, like, we had, like, a valedictorian type of lunch, he literally said that the first day that he met me, he knew that I was going to be super annoying because of how many questions I asked him the first day I met him, and it was just so funny. But by far, my favorite memory with him was when I walked in and I told him, Dr Adams, I need you to press this button. And it was the Harvard admissions button. And I like, you know? And he was like, Silvana, like, I don't want to deal with this right now. I'm like, no, just press the button. And he pressed it, and he felt so guilty, but he was so happy, and that was my favorite memory with him, because, like you could tell that he was just so excited, and it just made me happy, because I wanted him to realize that he helped me throughout this process. He really did, and he was the supporter as well as my counselor, Mr. Barkley. They were both such huge supporters, and so that was by far my favorite memory with them. So,

Kelli  17:01

so I noticed you slipped that little the valedictorian lunch. 

Stephanie  17:07

I was thinking the same thing.

Kelli  17:08

So did you get to attend the valedictorian lunch? Yeah, 

Silvana  17:12

I did. 

Kelli  17:13

And why? 

Silvana  17:14

Because I was valedictorian.

Stephanie  17:17

So humble. Oh yeah, that one thing that happens when I was a senior,

Kelli  17:20

I would have that, I would have a hat that said valedictorian,

Stephanie  17:24

wearing, like, valedictorian stuff, just walking around.

Kelli  17:28

Hi, I'm the valedictorian. My name is Silvana, but I'm valedictorian.

Silvana  17:34

I mean, I don't know what to say. I mean, like, it's because, like, that was such a big memory, because the way that he expressed, like, our relationship was that, you know, we had that kind of like annoying like, we both kind of like not despise each other, but we both knew that he wasn't gonna like me because I was super annoying and, like, I was super pushy for him to answer my questions, that type of thing. So that's why I kind of mentioned the valedictorian Lynch, because that's when he kind of like, mentioned that we had that type of relationship. We had, like, a rocky relationship at the start, but now, like, he texted me every day, like, while I was at Harvard, he texted me every day. He's like, are you okay? Like, what are you doing, like, this, this and that. And I'm like, No, I'm okay. So, you know, we have that rocky relationship, but we kind of grew and we have like, this close, like AVID teacher and, like, student type of bond that will grow beyond high school. So, yeah. 

Kelli  18:21

So as a student, you were kind of a lot. I was a lot,

Silvana  18:24

yeah, and that's okay. It worked out, great.

Stephanie  18:26

It worked out, yeah,

Kelli  18:27

there's some people in this room who are a lot.

Stephanie  18:30

I don't know who Kelli to be talking about.

Kelli  18:33

It's me, it's me. I'm a lot

Silvana  18:35

But it ends up being good. I mean, that's a part of personality, and it's good because it shows that we are motivated to achieve more than what we're meant to achieve. 

Kelli  18:44

Exactly, 

Silvana  18:44

yeah,

Stephanie  18:45

when I was thinking too, with your planner and all of those things you learned with using that in your 9th and 10th grade class, like that's gonna come in so handy with all you're gonna be juggling when you're there. Yeah, you know, having that organization already set, where there's been a lot of kids who got to Harvard, but they didn't necessarily have those skills, 

Silvana  19:00

yeah, exactly right. 

Stephanie  19:01

And so you already have that in your little like, AVID basket that you could take with you when you get there.

Silvana  19:06

And it's so funny, because that was my personal essay that I wrote about for Harvard. And so, yeah, I wrote about my personal essay. I mean, my planner. Sorry. So yeah,

Stephanie  19:14

OH I love that avid for the win. 

Kelli  19:16

There you go. So are you going to continue with a paper planner? Are you going to do a digital planner? 

Silvana  19:20

Oh no, paper planner. Yeah, I carry that with me, that two inch planner. I carry it with me every day. Yeah, 

Kelli  19:26

You are my people. You mentioned that you were at Harvard, so I know you took a summer class there. So tell us. I can't even imagine what was it like setting foot on that campus the first time. 

Silvana  19:41

Oh my gosh. I mean, I still remember it. I remember getting out of that plane. It was 7am we me and my friends who we were all in the same airplane. We walked into the shuttle, and we're, like, touring, kind of around Harvard, and I'm just looking at it. I'm like, There's no way that I'm here, you know? Like. Yeah, I still can't believe that I get to look at a building that I've been admiring for seven years, and the minute that I stepped on that campus, it just, it felt like a dream. It just, it felt like I wasn't there, but I was there. It felt it felt weird. It felt like, oh my gosh, like there's no way that I'm here, like all this hard work is finally paying off, and I get to step on the campus that for so long, I've just looked at my dream school, and it was it felt so nice. And it kind of felt like when I stepped on that campus, I just remembered of my fifth grade self, when I made my Harvard poster, and when I was just wearing my Harvard T shirt, morning, noon and night, and I'm just like, Oh my gosh. Like, I literally told myself, like, we made it, me and my fifth grade self made it, and we're here now. Now it's just time to graduate Harvard. Yeah,

Kelli  20:49

I love that you and your fifth grade self, all right,

Stephanie  20:54

so with this journey you're going on, what are you most looking forward to?

Silvana  20:59

I'm most looking forward to making the connections at Harvard. Harvard has a lot of amazing alumni, such as Barack Obama, and so I'm just so amazed to kind of, kind of shadow Barack Obama, in the sense of, like, see what he did at Harvard and do, kind of like, you know, see what he did, and kind of take those steps, be like, Wow. Like, I'm gonna kind of do what Barack Obama did, but like, in my own way, and kind of because, you know, like he was president, and now  I now I want to become president. So I was just like, I'm just gonna try to follow, see what he did, but also find out more about, like, how I want to follow my government concentration. Harvard offers so many clubs, so many competitions, so many courses that are just involved with government and politics, and I'm, I'm so excited to start that, because it's kind of like a step closer to achieve my presidential goal, as well as, you know, working for Congress and that type of thing. So yeah, 

Stephanie  21:54

I hope someday, when she becomes president, they'll just do a little clip of this podcast, like your first official interview before you become president,

Silvana  22:04

I will make sure that it's that it's on there, yeah, 

Stephanie  22:06

Get the archives out RIMS AVID roundtable podcast.

Kelli  22:12

All right. Queries, Decir les algo, tus padres, algun mensaje.

Silvana  22:16

Oh, yeah, Quiero dedicar esta mensaje a mis Papas. Mis Papas siempre and hacido mi inspiraccion, on Vivi and so cuando estabe la escuela No uvo momentos cuando era dificil Pa todos, nosotros en la manera de que yo no Ellos, no supieron ingles yo supe. Yo tu que ensenar me sola entonces quiero, quiero decir a mis Papas que gracias por soportarme durante todos estos momentos porque para ellos tabien fue dificil para soportar Me en la manera de que yo no supieron ingles entonces yo tuve, que aser lo todo sola, pero en serio. yo nunca lo hice sola, siempre lo y ser con ellos. He ellos me dieron la alas si Ahora yo tengo que volar sola. So yeah,

Kelli  22:21

excellent they will love that.

Silvana  22:35

Thank you. That's it for this episode of The RIMS AVID Roundtable. I'm Stephanie 

Kelli  23:07

and I'm Kelly. 

Stephanie  23:08

If you have questions feedback on today's episode or an idea for a future show, please tweet us at RIMS AVID, or email rimsavid@sbcss.net we'd love to hear from you and be sure to check out our website, rimsavid.org for all the latest news and events.

Kelli  23:22

Thank you, Silvana, for coming in today and for sharing your AVID excellence. Your RIMS AVID family is so incredibly proud of you, and we cannot wait to see the incredible things that happen in your future. Whatever comes your way, we know you are more than up to the task. So good luck. Stay safe, keep warm in Massachusetts and go crimson.

Silvana  23:45

Thank you so much, 

Kelli  23:47

and thanks to all of you for listening. Don't forget to follow us in your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a single episode. Join us again next time for more RIMS AVIS Roundtable, we'll save you a seat.