"If Opportunity doesn’t knock - BUILD A DOOR"
Milton Berle
I recall Milton Berle on the Dick Van Dyke Show (far beyond what many of you can recall). Yes - back in the day that my daughters refer to as - when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Ha! Seriously, while the quote is old, it still holds true today even more so. 2020 brought with it hurdles that seemed impossible brought on by the Pandemic with schools still struggling with course delivery, workplaces that took place on dining room tables, meetings conducted from bedrooms and work attire that mix and matched a dress shirt with pajama bottoms. However, at AGUILA, taking the MB (Milton Berle) approach - we BUILT A DOOR - A DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY. Staff put their heads together and devised ways in which to continue to serve students via Zoom which included opportunities to revamp the college preparation classes that included personal College Conversations with schools from across the country that included Bowdoin, Lehigh, Columbia, St. Mary’s/San Antonio, Grand Canyon, Arizona State, Santa Clara, Pepperdine and Seattle Pacific among many others who are still knocking on our door. In addition, AGUILA’s signature Pathways Program continues to witness greater understanding in specific areas of study that assist students in the college/career decision making process. Nationally recognized speakers such as Dr. Matthew Whittaker, Dr. Rosemarie Dombrowski and Dr. Paul Ortiz and Holocaust Survivors who offered their expertise, experiences, research and skill to inspire, motivate and guide our young scholars in our first AGUILA Summer Experience. Inspiration leads to innovation in the development of AGUILA Storytime designed to provide AGUILA students with an opportunity to connect with “Littles”, ages 2 to 8. The project is designed to provide community service hours for our students while instilling a love of reading in children. Once again AGUILA took to building yet another door with an exclusive Partnership with Grand Canyon University. AGUILA students who graduate with 100 hours of community service have an opportunity to receive FREE tuition!! Our educational partners are prepared to build additional doors as we welcome our latest partner - Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa through our good friend Todd Coleman, Assistant Vice-President for Enrollment. Good friends answer the call to build and along came another good friend in David Krause who recently retired from St. Mary’s University/San Antonio with many years as the Director of Financial Aid and Board Member for FAFSA. We welcome him to the AGUILA Family where his skill, expertise, connections and most importantly, his commitment, add to building greater doors of opportunity. AGUILA’s flock of builders increased with additional staff in Success Coaches, Bob Wenham and Lisa Lopez Risch along with Volunteer Coordinator, Dina Eloi. 2020 may have made it difficult to knock but we are AGUILA STRONG in the business of BUILDING DOORS!
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2020 truly brought new experiences forcing everyone around the world to pivot in ways we never thought imaginable. AGUILA was included in organizations that had to act quickly in revamping the manner of our program delivery in our determination to serve our students. Like so many others, we were forced to look at new ways to ensure student success without in-person contact. Moved into a virtual world AGUILA transformed from once a month in-person to twice a month Zoom sessions. Initial concerns were relieved with encouraging and positive student feedback. As Mrs. H. continually reminds us “We are AGUILA - Eagles who fly like Geese in V-formation, lifting each other, gaining strength and power in flight to higher heights.”
As the Pandemic grew stronger, we were not deterred - we were committed to providing inspiration and motivation to our students. While we could not hold our Annual Summer Leadership Symposium, we again pivoted and developed the first AGUILA Summer Experience - a series of nationally recognized leaders and academicians who shared their knowledge, expertise and most importantly, their commitment to supporting our students.
Sessions and special events like AGUILA exclusive events like SOS (Scholarship Overnight Search) where Seniors applied to 700+ scholarships and the innovative Annual AGUILA College Fair (for our high school students by our Alum) was still our very personal and successful experience.
The Pandemic still looms but we will not be deterred - we are AGUILA STRONG with innovative plans to ensure continued support for our students and their success. SI SE PUEDE!!
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From Center for Disease Control(CDC):
How to Protect Yourself When Going Out
· Wear a mask that covers your mouth AND nose to help protect yourself and others.
· Stay 6 feet apart from others who don’t live with you.
· Avoid crowds.
· Avoid poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
· Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
If You are at Risk of Getting Very Sick
· People of any age can get COVID-19, even healthy young adults and children.
· People who are older or have certain underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.
· Other groups may be at higher risk for getting COVID-19 or having more severe illness.
What to Do If You're Sick
· STAY HOME except to get medical care.
· Isolate yourself from other members of your family to prevent spread to them and the people that they may have contact with, like grandparents.
· Even if you don’t feel sick, you can spread COVID-19 to others.
· Get care immediately if you are having emergency warning signs, like trouble breathing, pain or pressure in the chest.
How to Get a Test for Current Infection
· You can visit your state or local health department’s website to look for the latest local information on testing.
· If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first.
· If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and choose to not get tested, it is important to stay home. Find out what to do if you are sick.
How to Cope with Stress
· Care for yourself, one small way each day.
· Unwind by doing yoga, listening to music, or gardening.
· Find new ways to connect with family and friends, get support, and share feelings.
· Eat healthy foods and get enough rest
· Relax by reading, listening to music, or starting a new hobby.
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Marena is an Aguila alumna from the 2012 cohort. Originally from Mexico City, Mexico, she was raised in Phoenix, Arizona and didn’t know she wasn’t a citizen until her sophomore year. Before DACA existed, she worried about whether going to college was a possibility for her. At the Aguila summer symposium, Marena connected with St. Mary’s University where she graduated in 2016 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology and Chemistry. Currently, Marena is a PhD candidate in the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University studying molecular mechanisms of human pathogens using fruit flies. Marena is also a DACA recipient and the current student advisor for the Crimson Group, an activist support group for undocumented students at WSU.
“I wouldn’t be where I am now without Aguila so I always try to be involved and give back to the organization to help students like me. I didn’t know I wanted to be a scientist when I was in high school but I’m really happy that I kept going. My academic journey has shown me that I just love to learn – I love to ask specific questions and think about a solution. Other careers like engineering and law do this too but I love what I do because I get to read about COVID-19 on the news and actually understand at the molecular level how this virus takes over human lung cells. I’m very thankful for my education and I want to continue giving back in other ways because it’s very important to me that Latino/Hispanic students know that STEM is more than engineering and math – the “S” is for science! I am the President of our WSU SACNAS* chapter because this national organization tackles the major problem of underrepresentation of minorities in the STEM workforce. My goal is that one day my dream job combines my appreciation for science and my passion for empowering our immigrant community.”
*Society for Advancing Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science
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Rafael Vazquez is a West Phoenix native who graduated from the third cohort of AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute and from Westview HS in 2008. Under the guidance of AGUILA, he has since graduated with a bachelor's degree in International Relations '12 from Stanford University and two master's degrees from Arizona State University in Secondary Education '15 and Educational Leadership '16. A Teach for America alumnus '13, Rafael is currently an International Baccalaureate Maths Teacher at a private, independent, international school in Mexico City named the American School Foundation. He currently takes on many other hats besides teaching including being the Head of the Math Department as well as a K-12 Math Review Coordinator overseeing the math curriculum of all 4 schools on his campus.
Aside from the city life, Rafael has been able to explore much of Mexico (pre-COVID) from climbing the pyramids of Teotihuacan and el Tepozteco (rumor has it UFO's can be seen hovering in the night sky) to diving into the cenotes of Tulum and the 7 blue hues of water of the Bacalar lagoon. Rafael has been able to reconnect with his roots and build them even deeper with his Mexican family who he now sees consistently. Being at one of the largest Metropolitan cities of the world has also allowed Rafael to also easily sightsee outside of Mexico with Cuba being one of those destinations: a land of style, 50's vintage cars, joyful people and beautiful landscapes. Post-COVID he would like to check off many other Latin American countries to his extensive bucket list. Rafael wishes he had known about the international teaching life much sooner, but it also could not have come into his life at a better time, hence his #1 piece of advice below!
His advice to the Aguilitas is the following:
- Expose yourself to as many different careers as possible and don't get stuck on the one thing you like or are good at. Take advantage of our current online environment to reach out to professionals who can now be more receptive to online communication.
- Plan early and ASK for help! As Ms. H always says, you don't G-E-T unless you A-S-K. I have found this to be especially true with the SAT tutoring I charge a hefty sum for at the private school I teach at, something I provided for AGUILA voluntarily. Let's just say that knowledge is power (and oftentimes money as well).
- The final piece of advice, because Rafael is a fan of threes, is to be careful what you put out online. If 2020 isn't any indication of the power of social media, Rafael doesn't know what is! Be sure to be proud of whatever you put out into the universe because it is a guarantee to come back to help or haunt you.
That being said, Happy New Year because 2021 marks the year of Black Lives Matter, women's rights are human rights, no person is illegal, science is real, and love is love!
¡Adelante, que Sí, Se Puede!
Rafael Vazquez, AGUILA '08
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AGUILA partners include the PBS Kids, Arizona Humanities, Changing Hands Bookstore, and Barrio Bookmobile to continue to inspire young children through that seed planted so long ago by Mary Gonzales Ybarra, Mrs. H.'s mother. Visit our website for more information to include dates/times for AGUILA Storytime and enjoy the journey through the love of reading.
Date for January will be on Wednesdays, January 13th and 27th starting at 6PM (MST).
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Make sure to mark your calendars for Febuary 19-20 for SOS 2.0!
Our iconic and unique Scholarship Overnight Search is tailored to helping our Seniors continuing their scholarship search from our SOS in the fall and our Juniors will join us as they prepare for their senior year.
This special and unique event has always helped our students to make a more informed decision. Details are still in the works so keep an eye out for more news to come your way.
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You can help us make a difference in the lives of a growing number of students who aspire to create change through education. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and is tax-deductible. |
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Editor: Analyssa Flores | Photography:Michel Contreras |
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