Brittany Gonzales, a sophomore at Fort Lupton High School, woke up at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday so she could reach the Capitol in time to share coffee with Colorado lawmakers. She had a message for them: Help more students get to college.
Gonzales — along with 150 other middle and high school students from across the state — was there to promote the college readiness program AVID. AVID prepares students for college through a variety of methods. Early in their school lives, AVID teaches students how to stay on top of their academics. Later there are visit college campuses and community projects.
We met with Gonzales and others to ask them what they thought lawmakers could do to improve their school and help them get to college. Here’s what they had to say:
Brittany Gonzales
Gonzales said lawmakers should work to help districts hire the best teachers — ones like her science teacher who helps student learn in a variety of ways.
Emily Cotner
Emily Cotner, a junior at Fort Collins High School, said lawmakers should require later start times for high school students.
Christian Sunblade
Christian Sunblade, a senior at Eaglecrest High School, said lawmakers should pay for high school students to visit more college campuses.
Angela Gomez
Angela Gomez, a junior at Sheridan High School, said lawmakers should create a pool of money to pay for high school students community service projects.
Jessica Lopez
Jessica Lopez, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School, said lawmakers should encourage schools to start college prep earlier.
Myduyen Nguyen
Myduyen Nguyen, a senior at Eaglecrest High School, said lawmakers should provide more money to establish internship programs for high school students.