Northeast senior rockets to the top through AVID

Northeast senior Marco started high school with a dream. 

“I always wanted to go to college. It was a big goal of mine,” Marco said. 

His dream ran into a roadblock during his first year at Northeast. Marco transitioned from middle to high school in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This disruption complicated the change, leading him to struggle as a freshman. Keeping his eye on college, he sought help from the AVID program for his sophomore year. 

“They said they could help us with all our classes, and at that time that was my first time taking AP classes. I thought it would be a good way to help me with that,” he added. 

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a college-readiness elective class offered at Lincoln Public Schools. The program equips students like Marco with vital academic tools, including critical thinking and time management. Its teachers empower students to reach high goals and push themselves in school to achieve success. 

“Opportunities like AVID are important to students as they give assistance and encouragement for students to use their abilities to the fullest and fulfill their dreams,” Northeast AVID teacher Erik Reiners said.

The program was just the push Marco needed. The senior credits AVID for strengthening him as a student like teaching him study skills and giving him the confidence to ask for help in class. 

“I changed as a student because it made me more responsible. It helped me better myself for academics and all around as a person,” Marco said. 

“Marco is naturally gifted as a student and uses this gift by applying himself to classes here at LNE,” Reiners added. 

Marco’s dream is now realized. He will graduate from Northeast this May with the school’s first cohort of AVID scholars. Then, he will attend the University of Nebraska - Lincoln to study business in the fall – making him the first in his family to go college. 

“I am so proud of Marco and his growth as a student. He has set goals and crushed them, which has been awesome to witness,” Northeast Instruction Coordinator Jocelyn Crabtree said. She also used to be one of Marco’s AVID teachers. 

“AVID just kept pushing me,”  Marco added. 

The senior’s success doesn’t stop there. Dell recently selected Marco to be one of its scholars, giving him a $20,000 scholarship and other college essentials after a highly selective nationwide process. He also earned the Susan T. Buffett Scholarship. The graduating Rocket said these accomplishments sparked by AVID only fuel him to keep working harder. 

“They just encouraged me to keep going because I have more help now and it can just help me succeed in college,” he said. 

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