I am writing today because I am proud of a specific student that I have been working with for the last five months. I was connected to the student and her family because they were referred to the Academic Advocate program by her school counselor at Hilltop Middle. When the student was referred to this program, she was struggling academically. The student was withdrawn and showed little interest in school activities.

     As we began working together, I found that she was very much disengaged from school. My goal was to re-engage her in her education. We created a plan that would have her focus on her strengths and aspirations. We often discussed how important pursuing a higher education can be. As we focused on her academic goals, I suggested that she take part in one of our partner programs, ARTS. I was hoping, by attending these art sessions, she would create new relationships while discovering a passion for school and education.

     Since working together, she has improved her grades, improved her attitude about school and has taken a leadership role in the ARTS class. She voluntarily stays after school for tutoring sessions and continues to build upon her improving grades. When the ARTS class needed a representative to present their concept of a mural to the school principal, she volunteered. After preparation, numerous revisions and a bit of nerves, she delivered a presentation that secured approval for the mural that is allowing the ARTS class to leave a lasting legacy. Other staff has pointed out that this successful presentation is just one example of how this student is becoming more engaged and growing more confident.

         A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of taking a group of students in the Academic Advocate program to SDSU for their annual SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) conference.  At the conference students rotated to six different workshops where they were able to participate in hands-on projects related to the different fields in engineering. Some of the students’ favorite projects were creating a prosthetic finger out of straws and popsicle sticks and competing against other teams to see how high their water rocket could go. The best part for me as an advocate was seeing my 8^th grade students connect engineering to real life jobs. Before this conference my students had heard of engineering, but they did not really understand what a job or major in engineering would mean for their future. I’m happy that my students were able to get this great experience at such a young age so that they have many more years to explore exactly what they want to study in college and beyond.  

Hello, my name is David Fares, I am and Academic Advocate at Hilltop Middle School.  I work with some remarkable students.  Regardless of the fact that I am just beginning my work with these students, I am beginning to see the impact that I as an Academic Advocate am having on my students. 

One student in particular stands out in my mind. This student was shy, withdrawn and believed his opinion/input was inconsequential.  He had two F’s, is in Rising Stars (afterschool intervention for students with 2 or more F’s) and did not have any extracurricular interests.

Having worked with my student briefly one-on-one and in Rising Stars, I wanted to find a way to allow the student to feel comfortable expressing himself.  I introduced he and his mother to the ARTS program.  While his mother was excited about the program, he was hesitant and noncommittal.  I made an agreement with him.  He agreed to try the ARTS class after Rising Stars and I agreed to let him out of Rising Stars early on those days. 

After three weeks in the ARTS class, my student began to talk more openly with me. I saw a little more confidence in him and he seemed  moderately more engaged while in Rising Stars. A few weeks later the student began to heed my advice to speak with each of his teachers regarding his grades, missing assignments and how he can improve. The student began to work hard on making up assignments in his math and social science class and immediately saw results. His social science grade improved dramatically, shifting from an F to a C-.

After working hard at the end of last semester, my student appears refreshed and ready for the challenge of a new semester.  While he was not able to repair his grade in math enough to earn a passing grade, he has begun to grow academically and socially.  He has earned his way out of Rising Stars and now possesses the ability to communicate effectively with adults.  He has shown himself that his hard work pays off with a more rewarding report card.  He has discovered a new interest in art through the ARTS program and is eager for ARTS to begin again this semester.  While my student still has much to achieve before he could be considered a student who excels, he has begun to make progress toward a more fulfilling academic and social experience.

David Fares, Academic Advocate

On 2/08, a group of 14 Castle Park High School students attended the 21^st Annual Chicana/Latina High School Conference at San Diego State University. Students were excited to participate in this event in the company their Academic Advocates and many other students from San Diego County.

The day opened with performances ranging from Danza Azteca, Ballet Folklorico en Aztlan, and spoken word poetry by a current SDSU student. This was followed by an inspirational key note speaker, Dr. Irene Lara. Dr. Lara, who is a Castle Park High alumna, shared words of wisdom and discussed her research in healing. CVPromise students were excited to learn that a professor at SDSU is a fellow Trojan and thought her speech was very motivational.

The workshops were highly educational and engaging. They provided students with information about the history of education and our culture, campus resources for first generation college students, body image, inclusion and diversity on campus, among other topics.

Through lunch, students shared what they learned among each other and enjoyed more performances by SDSU student groups.

Advocates assigned CVPromise students to interview one college student. The Trojans enjoyed learning about the college students’ majors, their favorite things about college, and tips to prepare them for college while in high school.

There was a high level of energy throughout the day and all speakers, performances, food, and workshops were amazing! We thank San Diego State University’s Association of Chicana Activists (A.Ch.A.) for working hard to put together a wonderful conference and for inspiring our CVPromise students to pursue a higher education!