UCLA AVID Alumni Association
MEET THE 2017-2018 EXECUTIVE BOARD
We are the Executive Board of AVID Alumni Association at UCLA and we are dedicated to upholding and implementing the principles of this organization. Our goal is to increase accessible resources to all students within and outside of our organization to ensure success in higher education and in the global society.
Co-President
Daniel Juarez '18
Hello everyone, my name is Daniel Juarez and I am a fourth-year Psychobiology major with a minor in Global Health. As a first-generation college student, I am honored to be a part of the Avid Alumni Association at UCLA. It was through AVID in high school that facilitated my courage to even consider college as a realistic opportunity. As a child, degrees and careers were foreign to me as I grew up in a family where no one had attended college before. My parents' strong support and efforts to pave a good life for me inspired me to search for programs that helped students get to college and that is when I found AVID. Growing up I faced many adversities that hindered me from focusing on my academics. Although oftentimes I fell into despair, AVID empowered me to persevere. I am blessed to have been a part of Avid in high school. This program showed me that I can define myself as an individual and work for a better future. AVID showed me that an education was not just to receive more money, but to be equipped with the opportunity to have a positive impact on those around me. As the Co-President, I aspire to make an impact as powerful and heartfelt as AVID has done in my life by inspiring students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue higher education.
Julia Ho-Gonzalez '18
Hello Everyone! My name is Julia Ho-Gonzalez, I am a second-year Political Science major, Spanish minor here at UCLA. I have been involved with the AVID program since my middle school days. At the college level, AVID allows me to foster a sense of community on our college campus. I love being a part of the AVID Alumni Association because it grants me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills and inspire others to become leaders themselves.
Co-President
My name is Richard Sanchez I am from Tustin, CA (about an hour away from UCLA) and I am an Economics major. Currently I want to look into working as an economic consultant which pretty much means just helping out companies with their economic needs and anything they might be struggling with. Besides being the IVP of Avid I am also a part of the USAC Facilities Commission as Director of Outreach, USAC General Representative 1’s office as Communications Director, Bruins Beyond Borders as a Mentor Manager, UN Youth at UCLA as their secretary, and LEAF as a mentor. Through this club and AVID in general I have learned many things that I might not have otherwise including learning about college and the college environment as a whole which helped make the transition much easier and I hope to help other students with that same transition.
Richard Sanchez '19
Internal Vice President
Angie Osorio '18
Hello Everyone! My name is Angie Osorio and I am a 4th year Psychology, Chicanx Studies minor here at UCLA. I am from Bakersfield, which is that small town you pass through whenever you go to NorCal, but originally from Ventura County. I joined the AVID Alumni Association because I truly believe AVID’s motto of empowering all individuals and providing them with the extra tools and guidance needed to attain higher education. I am currently in the process of applying to graduate school programs in Nursing; I aspire to be a nurse practitioner after completing the program (hopefully I get in somewhere). Here at UCLA I am also the Coordinator for SCOPE -- Hablamos Juntos, volunteer at a the Language & Cognitive Development lab, and volunteer with the nursing program at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center. I also work at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs as the Career Services Assistant and am a part time extreme couponer! My advice for people who are unsure about joining a club is that it’s never too late (as cliche as that might sound). You get to meet some pretty amazing people, learn how to time manage,work with a team, and get networking opportunities. If there is one thing I regret letting my fear of being outcasted because I was new to an organization stop me from getting involved. The AVID Alumni Association aims to create a positive family environment and that's what made enjoy being part of it.
Evelyn Ruiz '19
My name is Evelyn Ruiz Lopez and I am the Financial Coordinator for the AVID Alumni Association (AAA) for the 2017-2018 school year. I am a third year Financial Actuarial Mathematics Major and originally from San Diego, CA. Apart from AAA, I am also a member of the Bruin Actuarial Society. Needless to say, I want to become an Actuary. AVID helped guide me through the college process and encouraged me to continue to excel to accomplish my goals.
Jose Alvarez '19
Growing up surrounded by agricultural fields in the Eastern Coachella Valley, I came to the conclusion that I had two paths to choose from. I could either give in to the low academic expectations held before Mexican-American males and consequently, wind up working alongside my parents in the agricultural fields under the unforgiving sun. Or, I could hold myself against the highest academic standards and create my own path. I chose the latter. I was then the first in my family to graduate as salutatorian, the first to attend to UCLA, and the first to be chosen as a Gates Scholar. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) helped me along the way by making me college bound. To this day, I am thankful for the assistance AVID has, and continues to provide for me as I continue my undergraduate years. As for my plans for the future, I intend on earning a doctorate in the education field, and more specifically, one that revolves around educational policies.
I’m originally from San Ysidro and I grew up in a low income Latino based community. I joined AVID in 7th grade and since then, pursuing a higher education for a professional career was always my motivation to succeed in school. As a third year, biochemistry major, I have the desire to take advantage of any opportunity there is to be successful once I graduate and attend pharmacy school. I’m currently planning to take my Pharmacy Technician License so I can be exposed to my career aspiration. AVID helped me develop professional as well as personal skills such as setting goals for myself and creating a plan that will help me reach it. I like to keep everything organized so I can manage my time to complete or improve my tasks. Besides AVID, I’m the Campus and Community Liaison of Grupo Folklorico de UCLA.
Teresa Mendoza '19
Esmeralda Suarez '19
Hello All! I am Esmeralda Suarez, a proud Chicana from San Bernardino, CA. I am a first-generation college student studying Political Science and Chicana/o Studies, with the dreams of becoming an attorney. At a young age, my parents instilled the idea of pursuing a higher education; however, because of their limited resources, my parents were unable to teach us how to get there. It was through AVID that my sisters and I learned how to navigate the educational system. AVID helped me develop my leadership, organization, and academic skills. Furthermore, the program helped me cover costs for my college applications and trips. I really think that without AVID, I would not be the UCLA student I am today and for that reason, I am forever grateful.
Co-Programming Coordinator
Co-Programming Coordinator
Dustin Rios '19
My name is Dustin Rios and I am from Riverside County, California. I am humbled to have an extensive experience with learning about AVID and other college readiness programs such as TRIO (Upward Bound/Talent Search) considering I was once an active member of these programs and continue to be a part of AVID. Despite my career interest aiming towards the journalism and media sector, a shared AVID mission of mine is to assist underprivileged students on their pathway to college and further their educational goals. It's this AVID mission that led me to reach my current higher education, and will always be grateful for. In addition, I am equally engaged in improving student's collegiate retainment while studying at UCLA, as I have felt and witness the copious struggles which prevented my peers from continuing their education. Finally, I hope to have a large impact this year in AVID at UCLA. Thank you
TBD
Teresa Rivera '20
Marketing & Publicity Coordinator
Public Relations Coordinator
Hey everyone! My name is Jonathan Junus and I am from the small town of San Jacinto, California in Riverside County. I am currently a Psychobiology major with aspirations to become a health professional. As the son of two Asian-American immigrants who never attended a 4-year college, the idea of attending UCLA was once a pipe dream to me. However, through AVID, I actually started to learn about different colleges and how far I can set my career goals. Through AVID, I was taught how to apply to colleges, how to sign up for SATs, scholarships, and pretty much every other tool I needed to get admitted into a 4-year university. Coming from an
underprivileged community and underfunded high school, I know exactly how much potential
the AVID organization could have on a student in such communities where expectations are lowered, and I want to be on the giving end of the AVID organization in order to make that potential materialize, which is why I joined the AVID Alumni Association here at UCLA. I hope to be a helping hand for students, especially first-generation students such as myself who can utilize this organization in order to better themselves as college students and ultimately greater members of society.