“What do you do at HMSA?”

“I’m an attendance clerk here. I make sure everyone is in their class and that we are able to pinpoint where they are when needed.”

“Why do you do this at HMSA?”

“I used to serve as a counselor aide here and then I went on to transfer to be an attendance clerk. I also enjoy working with the students here.”

“Do you believe you can continue to do this?”

“I hope so because HMSA helped guide me into what I wanted to pursue, so it feels great to work here but also it keeps me busy, and I want to also do grad school while trying to work here.”

“Are you going to college?”

“I already graduated college with an English major that inspired me to go to grad school to pursue creative writing or go into counseling.”

“What inspired you to pursue that in college?”

“What inspired me to pursue this major was that I liked writing and reading articles from

writers who are not really that talked about and I also liked reading articles that address real world issues”

“When you were a student how did you view this school?”

“When I was a student here the school was way more strict and now it’s a bit more lax, but that never stopped me from loving this school, and when I got to college I can see how the school has prepared me well. Also, it’s a very competitive school since everyone here tends to be hardworking and intelligent.”

“What was the best and worst year here?”

“One of my worst years here has to be sophomore year because that’s when I didn’t have good time management. I was trying to balance sports, clubs and school and on top of that I wasn’t getting enough sleep because I had to stay up to work on assignments. My favorite year has to be senior year because now that I’m at the end I get to see how this has helped me flourish and how everything has come together.

“Who was your favorite teacher?”

“I didn’t just have one favorite teacher but multiple. One was Ms. Latigay because she helped me a lot and especially with how she kept telling me to PERSEVERE. Ms Enger and Ms Siegler were also good because they helped me with books and also helped me with my writing and made me enjoy it. They are also a big reason why I chose to pursue english and creative writing in college. Lastly were Mr. Kircher and Mr. Severns because I wasn’t the best at P.E but they still took the time to acknowledge my improvements and push me to keep going.”

“Any advice for students currently enrolled?”

“Students need to be able to manage time well and get help when they need it from the staff and teachers. You need to understand everyone is here to help you do your best. But while doing that you need to prioritize yourself with sleep and still be a kid. Have fun and do hobbies you enjoy and overall enjoy life.”

“Who helped you adjust to HMSA?”

“Since I was originally a counselor’s aide, the counseling team helped me a lot and encouraged me along the way to apply to be an attendance clerk. Ms. Anzures, Ms. Martinez and Mr. De la Torre helped me adjust. Mr. Berumen and Dr. Mats were also very supportive and helpful. Then my friend, Ms.Gomez, always had my back during the process,”

“Were you in any clubs or sports?”

“I was in cross country, soccer and the art/drama club”

“What is your favorite hobby”

“My favorite hobby is to write poetry and just writing in general and I also like to read books”

“What is your favorite food?”

“My favorite food is pizza and tacos. A great taco place is this guy with a stand near Alondra Park”

Ms. Herrera seems very nice and I see her plenty of times since I’m sometimes late to school and just like me, she loves tacos.