‘I want to make an impact’

Throughout the first few weeks of her freshman year of college, Aleyda Mejia-Avalos has heard familiar voices in her head. 

“I’m so proud of you.”

“Push through this.” 

“You can do anything you set your mind on.”

They are the voices of her former principal and teachers at Santa Fe South Pathways Middle College in Oklahoma City. Aleyda no longer sees them every day, but she feels their encouragement as she navigates her first fall as a student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma.

“I can definitely hear them every day, telling me it’s all going to be okay,” Aleyda said. “They helped push me to be a better student and a better person in high school and that’s helping me a lot now that I’m in college.” 

Cathy Klasek, vice principal at Pathways, always enjoys watching the journey students take from their freshman to senior years of high school. In Aleyda’s case, Klasek remembers her being a somewhat reserved and shy freshman, which isn’t uncommon for students that age.

“She was kind of your typical freshman,” Klasek said. “It would be really easy to overlook her because she was really quiet."

But in the tight-knit community that principal Chris McAdoo has fostered at Pathways, no student gets overlooked. That’s one of the top goals that McAdoo sets for his staff each academic year. 

“I love every kid in this building,” said McAdoo, whose school has partnered with Gradient Learning for eight years. “And I want them all to know that. I truly mean that. I want each student at Pathways to know that there’s someone in this building that loves you.”

A love of learning

As a proud member of Pathways’ 2024 graduating class, Aleyda said the care shown to her by her teachers and principal was authentic. It not only helped her blossom as a student, but it made her excited to join extracurricular activities at the school and be a respected voice in the student community. 

“My relationship with my teachers made me feel safe,” Aleyda said. “It made me want to continue going to school. There’s some students that dread going to school, but my teachers made me want to go to school, even stay at school after hours. They just made me want to keep going to school, and now I love school.”

That love of learning blossomed as she became an upperclassman at Pathways, which is located on the campus of Oklahoma City Community College. The charter school takes advantage of its surroundings and encourages all students to simultaneously earn a college associate’s degree along with a high school diploma.

Aleyda is especially proud of her associate’s degree because it represents the first step in her lifelong goal of making a positive difference in the world. 

“I definitely want to make an impact in someone’s life,” Aleyda said. “It could be the smallest thing, but I want to help others.”

‘Change the world’

Aleyda credits her Pathways teachers for guiding her to the point where she discovered this life purpose. After her mother was in a severe car accident during her sophomore year of high school, Aleyda was inspired by the care and passion of the healthcare workers and envisioned a similar career. 

That led to her considering a future as a nurse. She is also open to other careers that will put her in a position to “change the world.” 

“I definitely want to make an impact in someone’s life. It could be the smallest thing, but I want to help others.”

“I love to be there for people and push them because a lot of people in this world need that extra push,” Aleyda said. “I want to be able to be that extra push for people. I just love to serve.”

Aleyda is taking that service mentality into her college life at SWOSU. She is already working as a student ambassador, where she happily answers phones and serves as a campus tour guide. 

“This job lets me be me,” Aleyda said. “I get to talk to people and help people.”

Aleyda said being a college student has had some early challenging moments, but she proudly confirms that the preparation Pathways provided for her has already paid off in noticeable ways. 

“I’ve seen other freshmen students having trouble, but I feel Pathways definitely helped me mentally to know what to do if things get hard,” Aleyda said. “If I’m having a bad day, I just think, ‘It’s going to be okay. Just push through this, one day at a time.’ 

“I’m beyond grateful for Pathways. I would not be where I am right now if it wasn’t for my time there.”