Angelica Russo

Mrs. Russo is one of the most motivational and influential teachers I have had during my high school career. She is motivational by always pushing me to try my hardest and not give up on the dreams that I have for myself. She was my ninth grade AVID teacher and I wouldn't have stayed in that program if it wasn't for her. I was asked to be in AVID in eighth grade, a family member of mine who was 4 years older than me was in AVID at Hamilton and highly recommended the program, which led me to try it out. The first month of my Freshman year I was not feeling so great about school and the AVID program in general. Mrs. Russo sought to make not only mine but other students high school and AVID experience more enjoyable. She was and still is a teacher that I can turn to if I am ever feeling lost or disengaged for school. After my Freshman year I was so disappointed that I would no longer be in her class for AVID. I soon would be choosing a mentor for the class. A mentorship in AVID is where I choose a teacher at the school to go to when I'm struggling in class or just need and outsiders opinion on something. I knew right away that I wanted her to be my mentor. She has helped me through school issues and home life issues. She makes me want to try my hardest in school and challenge myself. I have taken higher level classes to push myself in the right direction. She doesn't want me to feel that I can only come to her with school, when I am feeling down or having issues with my non-academic life she will give me honest opinions and ways I could try and fix the issues. With all of this new information she gave me I pushed myself to strive and leave negativity that was consuming my life. She told me that the friends that I surround myself with can change my view on things, and it did. I had a period in my life where I felt school wasn't important and my friends encouraged that idea. From the advice that she gave me I knew I needed to change and I made myself change for the better.

Melanie Hardt