AVID Juniors Lead College Research Presentation Across Grade Levels

Kadena High School 11th grade students in Mr. Lynn’s AVID class recently presented college research projects to AVID peers in 9th, 10th, and 12th grades. This cross-grade collaboration fostered college and career engagement by encouraging students to analyze what they hope for in a college, what aspects are most important to them (cost, location close to family, extracurriculars, and major options, etc.), and rank the eight colleges based on their personal criteria.

Students were then tasked with presenting their analysis to peers. They worked hard to deep dive into these colleges to create a solid argument for why a college would or would not work for them.

AVID teachers praised the 11th graders' depth of understanding and ability to articulate their findings.

“I really like the rating scale and putting numbers to their research,” Mr. Wood, AVID 12 teacher, shared.

Other teachers agreed, noting students were knowledge and able to articulate their research. The event fostered meaningful dialogue across grade levels, with juniors confidently fielding questions and sharing insights.

“During this college research project, I got to think about my priorities and had the chance to envision what I want my future/college life to be like,” said Ryah Makanaoka Narcis, AVID 11, student. “I feel as though I have never had the time, the chance, or the knowledge to start searching for colleges. This stressed me out since I didn’t know where to begin with this large step in my life. This research project not only allowed me to downsize my options, but also allowed me to explore, and provided a good foundation for searching for other colleges. This research project has put my heart and mind at ease now that I have an idea of what I want for myself.”