Aspirations of Advocacy
Written by Norah McMains, Spring Hill High School Junior
Initially published in “P.O.V. Publish Our Voices,” a student-run magazine showcasing the perspectives of young writers.
Illary Soto, a senior at Van Horn High School, has been an Independence School District (ISD) ambassador for the last three years, and a Real World Learning ambassador for one. Since the beginning of their high school career, they have had a passion for finding opportunities for students to discover their interests, and helping them see the value in secondary education.
“Essentially, I think it’s important for people to have those RWL opportunities because when you’re a student who is just trying to get by and not really getting involved at all, you start to lose motivation and passion for your education, which is sad but it’s true,” said Soto.
In high schools across the country, countless students come to school every day with fixed mindsets, convinced that they are not learning anything important or anything that will help them in their future.
They don’t wanna be there. They’re just dreading it, and they’re waiting for the day to be over. It’s really sad because I notice that a lot of them aren’t really involved in school.
Illary Soto, Van Horn High School Senior
Soto thinks the reason a lot of students don’t put effort into school is because they feel like there’s no effort being put into them. They don’t know that educators are providing options for them to grow their skills and find their passions.
“It’s really important to make [them] aware of all the opportunities they have,” said Soto.
Van Horn High School is one of three high schools in the ISD that strives to do just that. The other two are Truman and William Chrisman. These schools are designed to provide real-world, hands-on experiences for students through their “academy” pathway systems. Upon entering high school, students follow a course plan that corresponds to their chosen career pathway.
As an ambassador for the ISD, Soto is always on the lookout for new opportunities for students and passes the information about the events on to them. They also represent the school and meet with potential business partners that can support the ISD.
“[Being an ISD ambassador] is an amazing opportunity that students are able to get. I love advocating for that a lot. Now, being a RWL ambassador, I’m learning about more opportunities,” said Soto.
Throughout their time as an ambassador, Soto has informed numerous students of the programs and internships provided by Real World Learning. In one instance, a student who wanted to be a lawyer was able to get real-world experience through a law internship because of Soto’s advocacy. This student went on to study at Harvard over the summer and be a part of a Harvard internship for law.
“[These opportunities] help make them care about their education. No matter how much you ask people to care, if they don’t want to put anything in, they’re not going to. That’s why you just have to tell them as much as you can, so hopefully they find something they like doing,” said Soto.
Soto’s role has given them a reservoir of knowledge that they try to convey to their peers as much as possible.
I feel like the best advice to students when it comes to RWL and being involved in their education is simply to put in effort. You might think it’s dumb; you might think it’s stupid when you’re first doing it, but when you actually put in the time and the effort to get past all the stuff you don’t like, you get opportunities to do things you always waited for.
Illary Soto, Van Horn High School Senior
