Washoe Country School District
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Zachary Tapp's Profile
Sparks High Student Is an AVID Fan of Education and Life
Student: Zachary Tapp
School: Sparks High School
Sparks High School senior Zachary Tapp credits his school’s Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program for unlocking the door to all the possibilities available to him in college. As he prepares to travel first to Tampa, Fla. for community college then transfer to the University of Nevada, Reno, Zachary said the upcoming journey will give him time to nail down some life experience while continuing his education.
“I haven’t been as passionate about anything except school work,” said Zachary, 17. “I love to learn, especially math.”
Zachary will graduate from Sparks High School this month equipped with a $20,000 scholarship and a positive outlook on what the near future will bring him when he crosses the country and settles in Florida.
First, he will finish up in Sparks’ AVID program, which targets college-bound students to give them the tools and skills they need to succeed in a rigorous setting. Lynn Giomi, Sparks High’s AVID teacher, said it’s been a privilege having Zachary in her classroom.
“Zach is the most amazingly focused and dedicated student I’ve ever known,” she said. “From freshman year, he came in immediately, saying, ‘This is what I want, these are my goals and how do I get there?’ He’s been very good at following through every year. He’s a really smart, very humble, very hard-working young man.”
That consistency in making sure he stayed on track was rewarded when he garnered a Dell scholarship in the amount of $20,000. Zachary was require to write several short-answer essays talking about what the AVID program has done to help prepare him for college, a personal statement and an essay about his community service.
“AVID has helped me to make sure I rounded myself out,” he said. “That’s what colleges look for: capable students who can adapt and AVID’s helped me to do that because it’s forced me to do things that are not in my comfort zone.”
By being part of AVID and the National Honor Society, which also requires community service, he has volunteered at the local Rosewood Rehabilitation Center to assist the elderly with various needs.
“I got their lunches and transported them to and from rooms because they’re in wheelchairs,” he said. “I would also entertain them. They’re in a rehabilitation center and don’t get to do much so it’s important they have people to talk to. It’s fun; you get to know the people.”
As he continues to college, he wants to study to become a civil engineer.
“I look forward to the freedom and the wide range of opportunities after high school,” he said. “There is so much to explore. That’s partially why I want to go to Florida. It’ll be a whole other environment compared to Reno. I also want to spend time with my half-sister.”
