ASU conference prepares high school students for college success

group of high school students and teacher holding ASU banners at conference
February 05, 2015

Six-hundred high school sophomores from 25 Arizona high schools visited Arizona State University’s Tempe campus Feb. 4 and 6 as part of the annual AVID youth conference, hosted by Access ASU.

Access ASU works through school district and community partnerships as well as outreach programs to prepare Arizona students to be successful at ASU.

The one-day conference, titled “Be the Change,” is designed to empower Arizona high school students to take charge of their education and invest in their future and community. It provided a variety of resources, including interactive workshops, motivational speakers and a walking tour of the Tempe campus led by current ASU students.

The workshops provided a chance for the students to work together on brainstorming and creating solutions to local and global issues facing their generation. Students also heard from ASU SPARKS students who shared their stories about their pathway to college and how they overcame the obstacles they faced along the way.

Through an open application process, 25 schools in Arizona were invited to bring their students. This year, participating high schools included:

• Gateway Early College High School
• Camelback High School
• Mountain View High School
• San Luis High School
• Cesar Chavez High School
• Maryvale High School
• Westwood High School
• Central High School
• Perry High School
• McClintock High School
• Agua Fria High School
• Amphitheater High School
• Carl Hayden Community High School
• Basha High School
• Chandler High School
• Dobson High School
• Mesa High School
• North Canyon High School
• Palo Verde High Magnet School
• Peoria High School
• Raymond S. Kellis High School
• Red Mountain High School
• Skyline High School
• Alhambra High School
• Coronado High School

AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and other post-secondary opportunities. Established more than 30 years ago with one teacher in one classroom, AVID today impacts more than 800,000 students in 44 states and 16 other countries/territories.

For more information about the Access ASU AVID conference, contact accessASU@asu.edu.