GGUSD AVID Students Earn College Scholarships

• Thursday, May 1, 2025

Twelve AVID seniors from Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) were awarded more than $124,000 in college scholarships during the 2025 AVID Senior Standout Recognition and Scholarship Presentation hosted on April 23 by the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE).  GGUSD students received 26% of the scholarship funds awarded to students across Orange County.

"The AVID program opens incredible doors for our students, and we take great pride in honoring these outstanding AVID scholars who are prepared for success well beyond the classroom," said GGUSD Board of Education Vice President Bob Harden. "These scholarships have the power to transform lives and turn college aspirations into achievable goals."

The event also recognizes impressive senior standout students who embody the spirit of perseverance, academic excellence and leadership that defines the AVID program. Senior standout students from GGUSD included Orlando Mendez, Bolsa Grande High School; Jazmine Ortega, Garden Grove High School; Sophia Vinh-Reyes, La Quinta High School, Javier Duran, Los Amigos High School; Theodore Tran, Pacifica High School; Hailey Terrazas, Rancho Alamitos High School; and Gia Le, Santiago High School.

Students who received scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 include Nghi Hoang, Orlando Mendez and Le Tong from Bolsa Grande High School; Muhammad Rahim and Angela Vu from Garden Grove High School; Jocelyn Mercado, and Sophia Vinh-Reyes from La Quinta High School; Joseph Lopez from Los Amigos High School; Hailey Terrazas from Rancho Alamitos High School; and Joceline Elizalde, Gia Le and Nathan Nguyen from Santiago High School.

GGUSD is a leader in college readiness and outperforms the county and state in the number of high school seniors completing rigorous college entrance exams, due in large part, to the widespread implementation of AVID across the district. GGUSD is proud that 96% of its AVID students meet rigorous a-g requirements making them eligible to attend CSU and UC universities.

Alamitos Intermediate School, Doig Intermediate School and Santiago High School have been named national demonstration schools by the AVID program. GGUSD continues to consistently infuse AVID strategies and opportunities at the elementary and secondary levels while offering the AVID elective at all intermediate and high school sites. 

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