Adolfo Reidel was one of the first students ever to graduate from Aim High, and now serves on the Board of Directors as an advisor and advocate for the program that helped put him on the path to success more than 20 years ago.
When Adolfo Reidel moved to San Francisco from Nicaragua at the age of 13, he wasn’t focused on standing up for worker’s rights, mobilizing people for political campaigns, or serving on the boards of nonprofits. He was focused on learning to speak English.
Entering St. Paul’s Grammar School, Adolfo was reading at a 3rd-grade level, and was held back a grade level because of his language skills.
Aim High gave Adolfo the opportunity at a transformative summer. “Aim High was the foundation of my academic experience,” he says, twenty years later. “I had the ability to practice my English in a supportive environment – to be unafraid of speaking with an accent or making mistakes.”
After two summers of Aim High and two years of remarkable academic progress in school, Adolfo graduated St. Paul’s grammar school with top grades in St Paul’s Literature Track, the highest level of language arts classes, and earned admittance to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School.
Graduating from the University of California at Berkeley and Northern Illinois University College of Law, Adolfo returned to the Bay Area to serve low-income residents as a lawyer through Bay Area Legal Aid.
He found, however, that serving one person at a time was not enough.
Today, Adolfo represents workers on their grievances against employers, negotiates contracts between unions and employees, and educates workers on political issues as a Worksite Organizer for Local chapter 521 of the Service Employees International Union.
Like many graduates, Adolfo also returned to Aim High as a faculty member, teaching at the Lick-Wilmerding site from 1995 through 1997.
As a member of Aim High’s Board of Directors, Adolfo continues to serve low-income bay area youth as an advisor of Aim High’s operations, an advocate for its strong program, and an illustration of its success.
“I needed to know that I was having a wider impact,” he says of his work. “Doing a lot of good for a lot of people is the goal.”
From the archives: December 2008
Adolfo Reidel was one of the first students ever to graduate from Aim High, and now serves on the Board of Directors as an advisor and advocate for the program that helped put him on the path to success more than 20 years ago.
When Adolfo Reidel moved to San Francisco from Nicaragua at the age of 13, he wasn’t focused on standing up for worker’s rights, mobilizing people for political campaigns, or serving on the boards of nonprofits. He was focused on learning to speak English.
Entering St. Paul’s Grammar School, Adolfo was reading at a 3rd-grade level, and was held back a grade level because of his language skills.
Aim High gave Adolfo the opportunity at a transformative summer. “Aim High was the foundation of my academic experience,” he says, twenty years later. “I had the ability to practice my English in a supportive environment – to be unafraid of speaking with an accent or making mistakes.”
After two summers of Aim High and two years of remarkable academic progress in school, Adolfo graduated St. Paul’s grammar school with top grades in St Paul’s Literature Track, the highest level of language arts classes, and earned admittance to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School.
Graduating from the University of California at Berkeley and Northern Illinois University College of Law, Adolfo returned to the Bay Area to serve low-income residents as a lawyer through Bay Area Legal Aid.
He found, however, that serving one person at a time was not enough.
Today, Adolfo represents workers on their grievances against employers, negotiates contracts between unions and employees, and educates workers on political issues as a Worksite Organizer for Local chapter 521 of the Service Employees International Union.
Like many graduates, Adolfo also returned to Aim High as a faculty member, teaching at the Lick-Wilmerding site from 1995 through 1997.
As a member of Aim High’s Board of Directors, Adolfo continues to serve low-income bay area youth as an advisor of Aim High’s operations, an advocate for its strong program, and an illustration of its success.
“I needed to know that I was having a wider impact,” he says of his work. “Doing a lot of good for a lot of people is the goal.”
Adolfo Reidel was one of the first students ever to graduate from Aim High, and now serves on the Board of Directors as an advisor and advocate for the program that helped put him on the path to success more than 20 years ago.
When Adolfo Reidel moved to San Francisco from Nicaragua at the age of 13, he wasn’t focused on standing up for worker’s rights, mobilizing people for political campaigns, or serving on the boards of nonprofits. He was focused on learning to speak English.
Entering St. Paul’s Grammar School, Adolfo was reading at a 3rd-grade level, and was held back a grade level because of his language skills.
Aim High gave Adolfo the opportunity at a transformative summer. “Aim High was the foundation of my academic experience,” he says, twenty years later. “I had the ability to practice my English in a supportive environment – to be unafraid of speaking with an accent or making mistakes.”
After two summers of Aim High and two years of remarkable academic progress in school, Adolfo graduated St. Paul’s grammar school with top grades in St Paul’s Literature Track, the highest level of language arts classes, and earned admittance to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School.
Graduating from the University of California at Berkeley and Northern Illinois University College of Law, Adolfo returned to the Bay Area to serve low-income residents as a lawyer through Bay Area Legal Aid.
He found, however, that serving one person at a time was not enough.
Today, Adolfo represents workers on their grievances against employers, negotiates contracts between unions and employees, and educates workers on political issues as a Worksite Organizer for Local chapter 521 of the Service Employees International Union.
Like many graduates, Adolfo also returned to Aim High as a faculty member, teaching at the Lick-Wilmerding site from 1995 through 1997.
As a member of Aim High’s Board of Directors, Adolfo continues to serve low-income bay area youth as an advisor of Aim High’s operations, an advocate for its strong program, and an illustration of its success.
“I needed to know that I was having a wider impact,” he says of his work. “Doing a lot of good for a lot of people is the goal.”
