Ariz. Western College alumna speaks at nat’l conference

Each year more than 40,000 educators gather at one of 12 AVID Summer Institutes to learn how to successfully implement AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) in their schools.

One of the featured speakers at this year’s 2018 AVID Summer Institute in Denver was Melanny Navarro, a former Arizona Western College student and current fifth-grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School. The professional learning event took place June 12-14.

Navarro applied and was selected to be this year’s AVID for Higher Education speaker, which allowed her an opportunity to share her experiences with colleagues from other schools as they plan their campus implementation strategies for the coming school year.

AVID for Higher Education is designed specifically to meet the needs of students attending a college or university. It partners with institutions of higher education to systematically address the goals of increased learning, persistence, completion and success in and beyond college.

During her time as a student at AWC, Navarro worked as an AVID tutor for AWC’s Student Success Center. Her position was funded by the PACTO (Partners Advancing Completion through Transfer Opportunities) grant. She later went on to tutor for the grant through Northern Arizona University Yuma as well.

PACTO is a collaboration between AWC and NAUYuma to create a seamless transfer pathway and improve academic success at both institutions. PACTO’s three objectives are to close access gaps to underserved populations, optimize program partnerships leading to college readiness, and to increase student success by implementing instructional support grounded in AVID for Higher Education strategies.