Brainstorm thoroughly at least 5 of the bulleted questions, including as much specific detail as possible. (20 min)
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What are your goals for after high school? How has AVID helped you move closer to the realization of
your goals?
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What is something you probably wouldn’t have tried or accomplished if not for AVID? (getting to
know a teacher, adopting a mindset, a class in school, a service opportunity, etc.)
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What peer relationships (classmates and tutors) have grown out of your involvement in AVID and how
do they positively influence you?
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What is the relationship like with your AVID teacher? How is it different than with your subject area
teachers? How does it impact how you interact with your subject area teachers?
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What are your most memorable AVID moments (in class activities, learning lessons, field trips, etc.)
and why have those moments stuck with you? What did you get out of them/learn from them?
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How has AVID helped you overcome obstacles (large or small) in your high school life? Be specific
about what the obstacle was, how you tackled it, and how AVID prepared you for or helped you
through that obstacle.
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What are your favorite parts about being an AVID student?
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What are your parents’ goals for you? How do your parents feel about your involvement in AVID?
Think about your experiences with AVID and how working with AVID teachers, tutors and peers has helped
you open doors to opportunity and changed and defined your future. (60 min)
The best speeches will address all of the prompts below:
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How have you been influenced by your experience in AVID? What kind of opportunities has AVID made
possible for you?
How have your AVID teacher, tutors, and peers helped you grow academically or intellectually? How
has participating in the AVID program enriched your life, whether because of your peers, tutors, or
teacher?
What obstacles have you faced and how has your AVID family helped you to cope and possibly
overcome them?
o How has AVID opened your eyes and empowered you?
o As an AVID student, what obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?
o What is the most rewarding part of being an AVID student?
o How has participating in the AVID program enriched your life?
Guidelines:
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Approximately 500-750 words long/4-5 minutes long.
Name, email address, and phone number should be included as the header of your speech.
Leave at least 10 minutes at the end of the period to check for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.
Also, read speech “aloud” to hear and correct errors and make changes for better delivery.
Tips:
The best speeches will allow the audience to get to know you. Make a connection!
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Be yourself. While the writing needs to be relatively formal/standard written English (your audience is a
group of AVID teachers, counselors, and administrators), your voice needs to come through.
Include details and anecdotes. Allow the audience to experience what you went through or go through.
Let them see what you see and feel what you feel.
Work towards a big idea. What is your main idea, your thesis, your answer to their big question? Make
sure all of your ideas, descriptions, anecdotes, etc. works towards communicating the enduring
understanding with which you want to leave the audience.