
Two APS Students Participate in Community Foundation 'Fireside Chat'
Albuquerque High, Cibola seniors discuss giving back during prestigious speaker series.
The concept of philanthropy means different things to different people.
To Kaylee Shelton and Joel Aldavaz, the definition is clear: action and commitment.
The two Albuquerque Public Schools seniors – Shelton at Albuquerque High; Aldavaz at Cibola – discussed the concept of giving back during a prestigious speaker series in October sponsored by the Albuquerque Community Foundation, one of the top philanthropy organizations in the state.
Both students said they were surprised by the invitation, though they have offered plenty of sweat equity at their respective schools. Shelton is the student body president at AHS; Aldavaz is the student vice president at Cibola.
Though many commonly associate philanthropy with donating money, Aldavaz and Shelton said it’s the willingness to help in other ways that has driven their time in school.
“Community is the bond between people who are going through the same system – we all share the same foundations even if it’s not the same ideals,” Aldavaz said, noting that he joined student government at Cibola not as a way to be known or popular, but to simply make “it better for all students, even those not in Senate."
“To me," he added, “that’s what takes up my school – just be involved and be focused on reaching out.”
For Shelton, who hopes to join Albuquerque Fire Rescue as an EMT after she graduates, the process of helping first involves extending a hand. She said she learned plenty about it from a former Albuquerque High student, Ava Stratton, who was “super kind and welcoming to everyone. … I always tried to be like her – welcoming, kind, and friendly to everyone.”
Aldavaz and Shelton spoke during a “fireside chat” with former Community Foundation Trustee and Board Chairwoman Diane Harrison Ogawa, a well-known and respected presence in the state’s philanthropic circles. The event took place on Oct. 30 at the Albuquerque Museum.
Aldavaz, who plans to attend the University of New Mexico and study psychology and criminology after graduation, spends his senior year on projects at Cibola and participates in the school’s noted S Troupe sketch comedy club, in which students write, produce, and act.
“I like communicating with everyone,” he said.