By Julie Faryniarz
What’s the best part of your job? Have you ever been asked that question? I get asked often and always say it is connecting with students and working with great educators across the Greenwich Public Schools.
Here are a couple of examples. On Saturday night, I got a long distance call on my cell phone from a former GHS AVID student who is now serving our country. He called to thank me for a donation that I made to a “Go Fund Me” page he created for his ailing mother. He actually told me that I was “a good person” and that I had no idea what my donation and the donations of others have done for his family. Because of my work, I met Gardy early in high school when he was not convinced that AVID was for him. His incredible AVID teacher, Ken Alcorn, persuaded him to stick with the program and upon graduation he received a commission to the US Naval Academy. Gardy was matched with an AVID SUCCESS mentor, a friend of mine who was in the Navy, who helped him navigate the four years at Annapolis and was available on the phone and in person when extra support was needed.
This week, the Greenwich Alliance AVID SUCCESS program is hosting five career panels with 20 panelists, over the course of two days, for the 170 GHS AVID students. This diverse group of panelists include young people beginning careers and others who have worked in their fields for many years. One of the panelists, Domna, is another example of why connecting with students really matters to me and makes what I do so worthwhile. She was part of the first GHS AVID class taught by Missy Brown and graduated from GHS in 2013. I got to know the students in this first AVID class because the Alliance was very excited about bringing this college-readiness program to the high school and so I spent time in Missy’s class to watch and learn. Domna was a stand-out with her smarts and energy and was accepted to college out of state. We kept in touch over her college years because she received money through our AVID SUCCESS Scholarship fund. Now, as a working professional in the technology industry, I got a message from her asking to meet for dinner. She told me at dinner that she is ready, settled and wants to give back to the Alliance by mentoring, helping us with AVID SUCCESS Jobs and Professional, or whatever it takes to help other AVID students start their college journeys and enter careers.
The other thing that is great about working with students and alumni is learning from them. Noemy, a college student at UCONN, did a paid AVID SUCCESS internship at the Alliance over her spring vacation. Her job was to assemble a college panel of AVID graduates for current GHS AVID seniors, draft all communications, and to moderate and record the ZOOM. Students were asked to answer the question, “What piece of crucial advice would you give to AVID students before going to college?” This is what I learned:
Bleona said, “remember why you are going to college. I know a lot of AVID students want to go to medical school, law school and graduate school and grades are really important for that. Try to keep in mind it is nice to have fun but you need to prioritize grades especially since freshman year is going to be the easiest.”
“Get familiar with the financial aid and bursar’s office. Finances are a big stress factor. Always call about payments and charges. Familiarize yourself with the people who work there .They have answers to your questions,” said Alison.
And from Grace, “you are paying for your grades in college. Sometimes I brushed this off in high school. My AVID mentor connected me with a graduate from Cornell. After this conversation, I am now throwing myself at everything. If you are interested in something, do anything to get involved in it from freshman to senior year to build your resume. Be hard on yourself and just do it.”
Recently, Armin, an 8 year participant in our Tuning In To Music program, emailed to update me on his freshman year at Skidmore College. He volunteered for the Alliance in high school as a way to “give back” to us for the opportunity to take free violin lessons with the excellent music teachers at the CT School of Music. When I asked him if he was playing his violin this is his response, “Yes, I have been playing my violin. In fact, I just got back from String Ensemble rehearsal! The level of playing is very high, but I am working hard to hold my weight in the group.”
These students and these personal connections – the best part of my job!
