Riverside County Education Update, April 2011

High School Graduation Success Story
Stories You Tell Your Friends

photo of Kayla Vildosola and her AVID Coordinator Thomas Stokes Graduation season always seems to bring out the best in education success stories – the stories you find yourself repeating to friends wherever you go. This year, one of my favorites has come out of Moreno Valley High school, and I want to share it with you.

Four years ago, Kayla Vildosola was a middle-schooler with "Dropout" written all over her. She came from a broken home. She had been raised by a succession of relatives. She'd lived in some tough parts of town. School, in another county, wasn't going well, and she had a sense that teachers weren't interested in her. She failed English – and there were no consequences. "Nothing happened," she shrugged. "I thought, 'They don't care about me. Why should I care about the class?' "

But now? Kayla's among the Top 10 graduates in her Class of 2011 at Moreno Valley High School, and the sky's the limit –literally. In June she begins her college career, all expenses paid, at the highly selective U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Kayla Vildosola's spectacular turnaround is a classic example of how committed educators can make a difference in the lives of their students; especially when those students are, like Kayla, imbued with a real will to succeed in spite of obstacles. In Kayla's case, those educators pulled her into two highly effective high school programs, JROTC (Air Force in this case), and AVID. "Both of them had an enormous impact on my life," she said.

In fact, the first person to help Kayla imagine a successful life for herself was an older sister who had joined the U.S. Army. For young Kayla, seeing her sister crisply focused and respected in uniform, the message was clear: Obstacles did not dictate destiny. They could be overcome. "That's why my sister influenced me so much," said Kayla. "Because she was successful, and she broke the stereotype."

Even at that, success was not something that came easily for Kayla Vildosola. She had attended two other high schools when she arrived at Moreno Valley High – and that was just her freshman year. She immediately tried the AVID program, because people told her it was a good route to college, but it seemed like a lot of work. She didn't like it much.

But Thomas Stokes, the school's AVID coordinator, had seen something in her. "I remember her the first day," he recalled. "I like to get to know kids. I asked her what she wanted to do. She said, 'I want to fly Air Force One some day.'" He decided she was perfect material for AVID – which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. With perseverance, he reeled her into the program.

It was Chief Master Sergeant Ed Moore, meanwhile, who pointed Kayla toward the highest aspiration of an Air Force JROTC cadet, the Air Force Academy. After her sophomore year, she was accepted to Air Force's Honors Camp in New Mexico. After her junior year, she attended a Summer Seminar session at the academy itself. And by her senior year, she had discovered what those teachers had recognized: She thrived on hard work and big challenges.

Here is Kayla's high school resume: A top-10 graduate, with GPA in excess of 4.0. Moreno Valley High Student of the Year, 2011. President of the Honor Society. JROTC Group Commander. Two-sport athlete (track and soccer). Accomplished singer. Member of the Ukulele Club, of Interact. She became the first one at her school ever to get the maximum score on the JROTC fitness test; also, the second one. She never had a C at Moreno Valley High. She applied to 10 colleges and was accepted by all. Her choice: the Air Force Academy, where more than 11,000 applied nationwide, and fewer than 1,300 were accepted.

"She said many times I was hard on her," said Stokes. "Tough love. But when you see a kid you know can be successful, you do whatever it takes."

Poised to graduate, Kayla Vildosola is grateful to the educators who believed in her enough to teach her strength and confidence along with her academics. "Right now? How do I feel? Nervous, and excited," she said. "I think I'm ready. I've been working so long. That's the difference," she added. "It wasn't handed to me. I worked for it."

Regards,

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Kenneth M. Young
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools

Office of the Public Information Officer, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools
3939 13th Street
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 826-6642
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May, 2011



	High School Graduation Success Story Stories You Tell Your Friends Graduation season always seems to bring out the best in education success stories – the stories you find yourself repeating to friends wherever you go. This year, one of my favorites has come out of Moreno Valley High school, and I want to share it with you. Four years ago, Kayla Vildosola was a middle-schooler with "Dropout" written all over her. She came from a broken home. She had been raised by a succession of relatives. She'd lived in some tough parts of town. School, in another county, wasn't going well, and she had a sense that teachers weren't interested in her. She failed English – and there were no consequences. "Nothing happened," she shrugged. "I thought, 'They don't care about me. Why should I care about the class?' " But now? Kayla's among the Top 10 graduates in her Class of 2011 at Moreno Valley High School, and the sky's the limit –literally. In June she begins her college career, all expenses paid, at the highly selective U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Kayla Vildosola's spectacular turnaround is a classic example of how committed educators can make a difference in the lives of their students; especially when those students are, like Kayla, imbued with a real will to succeed in spite of obstacles. In Kayla's case, those educators pulled her into two highly effective high school programs, JROTC (Air Force in this case), and AVID. "Both of them had an enormous impact on my life," she said. In fact, the first person to help Kayla imagine a successful life for herself was an older sister who had joined the U.S. Army. For young Kayla, seeing her sister crisply focused and respected in uniform, the message was clear: Obstacles did not dictate destiny. They could be overcome. "That's why my sister influenced me so much," said Kayla. "Because she was successful, and she broke the stereotype." Even at that, success was not something that came easily for Kayla Vildosola. She had attended two other high schools when she arrived at Moreno Valley High – and that was just her freshman year. She immediately tried the AVID program, because people told her it was a good route to college, but it seemed like a lot of work. She didn't like it much. But Thomas Stokes, the school's AVID coordinator, had seen something in her. "I remember her the first day," he recalled. "I like to get to know kids. I asked her what she wanted to do. She said, 'I want to fly Air Force One some day.'" He decided she was perfect material for AVID – which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. With perseverance, he reeled her into the program. It was Chief Master Sergeant Ed Moore, meanwhile, who pointed Kayla toward the highest aspiration of an Air Force JROTC cadet, the Air Force Academy. After her sophomore year, she was accepted to Air Force's Honors Camp in New Mexico. After her junior year, she attended a Summer Seminar session at the academy itself. And by her senior year, she had discovered what those teachers had recognized: She thrived on hard work and big challenges. Here is Kayla's high school resume: A top-10 graduate, with GPA in excess of 4.0. Moreno Valley High Student of the Year, 2011. President of the Honor Society. JROTC Group Commander. Two-sport athlete (track and soccer). Accomplished singer. Member of the Ukulele Club, of Interact. She became the first one at her school ever to get the maximum score on the JROTC fitness test; also, the second one. She never had a C at Moreno Valley High. She applied to 10 colleges and was accepted by all. Her choice: the Air Force Academy, where more than 11,000 applied nationwide, and fewer than 1,300 were accepted. "She said many times I was hard on her," said Stokes. "Tough love. But when you see a kid you know can be successful, you do whatever it takes." Poised to graduate, Kayla Vildosola is grateful to the educators who believed in her enough to teach her strength and confidence along with her academics. "Right now? How do I feel? Nervous, and excited," she said. "I think I'm ready. I've been working so long. That's the difference," she added. "It wasn't handed to me. I worked for it." Regards, Kenneth M. Young Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Office of the Public Information Officer, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools 3939 13th Street Riverside, CA 92501 (951) 826-6642 Subscribe Read our Privacy Policy Message from the Superintendent A Moreno Valley high school graduation success story. Read more To Our Friends in the Business Community Inland economic forecasters are reporting your concerns about education in this region. We take those concerns seriously, and we're demonstrating that. Read more Celebrating Educators Meet the 11 exemplary educators on this year's honor roll from the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools. Read more Science Star Centennial High's Jessica Richeri wows the Intel international science fair. Read more