Since 2009, more than 1,000 high school seniors have been awarded college scholarships of up to $25,000 each — and totaling more than $18 million — through the OC AVID Senior Recognition Program.
Though a ceremony was scheduled for April 20 to celebrate this year’s recipients, it was among the many events that had to be canceled or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So AVID has instead produced this slideshow to virtually recognize local scholars who received awards:
tinyurl.com/OCAVIDScholars2020
Award letters with the scholarship amounts are scheduled to be emailed this week.
“Congratulations to the AVID Seniors of 2020,” OCDE AVID Coordinator Denise Harshman said. “We are truly disappointed that we cannot honor our AVID Standouts and Scholars in person this year. However, we celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of these seniors.”
The AVID Senior Recognition Program was established to help finance higher education for young people who might not otherwise attend college. AVID students are typically from underserved populations and have average grades but show college potential. Through the program, they emerge as scholars who are able to make informed decisions about their postsecondary options, Harshman said.
AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. In that way, AVID and OCDE share a vision for college and career readiness for all students.
This year, there are close to 40,000 AVID students in Orange County, from kindergarten through grade 12. For more information, visit OCDE’s AVID webpage.