When Jefferson Elementary fifth graders Mia and Oliver found out they were selected as featured speakers for AVID Summer Institute 2026, they were at a loss for words.
"They couldn't believe it," said their AVID teacher and coach, Sabrina Walker. "They said they felt like they were floating."
The moment was a long time coming.
This summer, Mia will travel to San Diego and Oliver to Orlando, where each will share their story in front of thousands of educators, leaders and peers at one of the nation's most prestigious professional learning events for educators. They were selected from a pool of students nationwide, an impressive accomplishment for students at any level, let alone fifth grade.
Both students have grown up in Harvard Community Unit School District 50, an AVID district since 2018. Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, is a college and career readiness program that develops critical thinking, collaboration and self-advocacy skills in students from an early age.
For Mia and Oliver, AVID has been more than a program. It has been a roadmap to success.
Mia, described by Walker as compassionate, tenacious and dependable, wrote her speech about her dream of becoming a nurse. That dream was inspired by her family. She credits AVID with teaching her how to organize her time, thoughts and ideas, skills she knows will be important for a career in medicine. Oliver, a confident and creative problem solver with a natural gift for leadership, wrote about his goal of becoming a construction worker and how AVID's emphasis on cooperation, organization and problem solving connects directly to the challenges he expects in that field.
The road to San Diego and Orlando was not a short one. Walker began working with groups of fourth and fifth graders twice a week in November, guiding them through a writing process that required a 500- to 700-word speech on how AVID has shaped their growth. Students analyzed prompts, studied mentor texts, mapped out their ideas and refined their writing paragraph by paragraph. Once their speeches were complete, each student prepared for a video interview, practicing mock question-and-answer sessions with peers before recording with Walker one on one.
"The students put in a ton of hard work," Walker said.
For Walker, who has served as AVID team lead at Jefferson since early in her career, the moment carries deep personal meaning.
"If you would have told me several years ago that we would be representing our district at a national level in 2026, I would have been in disbelief," she said. "I am so unbelievably proud of Mia and Oliver for their determination and dedication. They more than deserve this recognition."
Their hard work comes with some remarkable rewards. In addition to the speaking honor itself, Mia and Oliver will each receive paid travel to their event city, a $500 honorarium and a personal letter of recommendation from AVID's CEO, Dr. Thuan Nguyen.
When the news broke, Walker joined Mia and Oliver at the office of Jefferson’s Principal Bigler, and together they called home to share the news with each student's mother. Walker hopes the experience stays with both students long after the applause fades.
"I want them to see this not as a final achievement, but as a stepping stone toward even greater goals," Walker said. "Their voices matter, and their hard work truly pays off."
For Mia and Oliver, this is not the finish line. It is the start of two special journeys.