Burbank and John Burroughs High School seniors spent a day with community leaders, in an exchange of ideas and life experiences, for the annual program Senior For A Day on Thursday, November 7.
Representatives from local businesses, elected officials, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center and leaders in the non-profit world were paired with BHS and JBHS students to learn about life as a high school senior. They attended classes, toured the campus and had lunch together.
Students learned about their mentor for the day’s work and their life experiences and career path.
“Senior for a Day was absolutely awesome!” commented JBHS ASB President Maddie Medina, who is also involved in Cheer and Link Crew at the school, along with other clubs. “I loved being a part of it and I learned so much in such little time.”
Medina was paired with Councilmember Bob Frutos, and they attended her AP Government class and AP Spanish class together.
“The whole time he was telling me stories about his life and what has inspired him to continue to do the things he loved,” she explained. “It was so inspiring to hear from him and be able to connect with him on what I plan to change about the school on a professional level but also on a personal level.”
“Both of us discovered that we come from Latino descent so it was awesome to both share our stories with one another.”
The participating JBHS seniors all found a connection with their paired mentor and expressed gratitude for the experience, Medina said. She was pleased the school and students received a lot of compliments from the adult visitors.
“We thank them for that and for taking the time to come to our school to see how it operates in 2019,” Medina added. “I can’t wait to see this program continue to grow in the coming years. Senior for a Day was something I won’t forget about my high school experience.”
At Burbank High, senior Ashley Karazi also found the experience enlightening and positive.
“We got to speak to successful adults, hang out with them for a day,” Karazi said. “They helped us understand how the real world works, how to be successful and taught us how to set goals and accomplish them with skills we learn in school.”
“As a senior it’s important to reach out to working adults and learn from their experiences.”
“My interests and goals are to study civil engineering, work for the city for a while and eventually start my own construction company,” Karazi commented.
“My partners and I were paired with Zizette Mullins and Krystle Palmer from Burbank City. They were great company and super helpful in our search for a better future. It was a great experience spending the day with my partners Angie Chavez, Jessica Reslan and Ashley Eskander.”
“We learned life long lessons from Zizette and Krystle,” Karazi continued. “They spoke about calculating your risks and taking the ones you know will benefit your future. They also spoke to us about mental health, making sure we know to reach out if there’s help needed.”
“We loved having Senior For A Day,” she added, expressing thanks to the school for hosting the event. “Thank you to the adults who took the time to visit and speak to us. We appreciate you guys and are honored to have the chance of participating.”
