KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – From Dec. 5 to 7, Kelseyville High School seniors Vanessa Gonzalez and Sayra Cacho will address hundreds of teachers attending the AVID Australia Summer Institute at Victoria University in Melbourne, Victoria.

Gonzalez and Cacho were recently named Questbridge finalists, becoming part of a highly select group of high school students across the country who have overcome many challenges to become high-achieving scholars.

“Vanessa and Sayra are outstanding students with 4.0 GPAs, ranking them in the top ten percent of their class,” said Kelseyville Unified School District Director of Student Support Services Tim Gill. “They qualify as migrant education students and were initially designated as English Learner students until they were re-designated as fluent English proficient. They are actively involved in their school and community and are well-respected by both students and staff.”

Gonzalez and Cacho credit their success to a blend of strong work ethics, supportive families and encouraging teachers.

Gonzalez was born in the United States to immigrant parents who did not finish elementary school.

Cacho came to the U.S. in second grade with almost no English language skills and parents who did not finish high school.

In both cases, the families continually encouraged their daughters to work hard in school, not to give up in the face of hardship, and to pursue their dreams.

Gonzalez and Cacho are enrolled in AVID at Kelseyville High School, a nationwide college readiness program that helps students reach their academic and personal potential.

This collaborative class provides students with academic support as well as assistance and instruction related to other college prep activities, such as signing up for standardized tests like the SAT or ACT.

Cacho explained, “AVID helps us stay on track. We help each other out.”

AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. The program was originally developed in San Diego in 1980 by English teacher Mary Catherine Swanson, who challenged the belief that the low-income students being bussed to her school couldn’t achieve at similar levels to the other students.

The simple philosophy of raising expectations and giving students the support they need has proven extremely effective.

Today, AVID impacts almost 2 million students – 75 percent of whom are low-income, and 80 percent of whom are underrepresented students. Yet, they outperform their peers in crucial metrics nationwide.

Kelseyville Unified introduced AVID in 2015 for grades seventh through 10th and has since expanded the program. It is now a K-12 AVID district.

At Kelseyville High, AVID teacher Katie Daitoku inspires her students and is also inspired by them, and she names Gonzalez and Cacho among the best and brightest.

“I just love them. They are some of the hardest working students I have ever had,” Daitoku said. “Their work ethic, positive attitude and enthusiasm are amazing. It doesn’t matter what I throw at them; they can handle it. They have intrinsic motivation and incredible support from their families. They are the future of our country, which means our future is bright.”

Daitoku will accompany Gonzalez and Cacho on their trip to Australia, where the students will be featured at the general session, speaking to more than 300 Australian teachers and administrators about how AVID helped them overcome challenges to succeed in high school and prepare for college.

After the general session, they will join with AVID students from Australian schools in a student panel that meets with smaller groups of attendees where they will participate in Q & A sessions.

Gonzalez said she hopes to remind the teachers present that they are “teachers, friends, and guides” for their students.

She continued, “I’ll let them know that even though we [teens] can be difficult, to be patient with us. We count on them to motivate us to do better.”

The students will arrive in Australia Nov. 30 and return home Dec. 8. In addition to speaking at the AVID conference, the students will enjoy three days of sightseeing during which they hope to see kangaroos and penguins.