Odalis Contreras

Advisory MA
April 26, 2015
High School Retrospective
Hello everybody, my name is Odalis and I'm here to tell you about what Ive gained and
learn while being here at V.I.S.A. I can honestly say that V.I.S.A is my second home because I've
been here since I was three years old, across the street at the daycare. Leaving here will be tough
because those that I have known since daycare are like family to me and those that have taught
me, I've grown to respect them. Some may say that V.I.S.A faulty are the toughest people they
knew but I appreciate everyone of them and I wouldnt imagine leaving this school. I've had some
of my best moments here and some moments that I wish not to relive. I hate thinking back to the
first day of high school because for me it was the worst day ever. The day started off with me
getting lost in the hallways trying to find my homeroom, then being thrown a water bottle at my
head by a senior, and then to finish it off being kicked off a lunch table because it belonged to the
senior guys. Thats what you call an embarrassing nightmare for a first day of high school. At
least it was all just one day right? And as the days passed and project were assigned, thats when
the true freshmen feeling came to me.
The first project that I was given was to write a This I Believe essay for Ms. Burnett. I
was excited to write a paper all about me and my life experiences because i felt that this would
be the easiest paper I will ever have to write.(slide 2) By writing this personal essay, I learned
how to communicate ideas through writing which was something I had difficulty in before. My
story was about how the relationships in my inner family were crumbling and how sometimes
hiding behind a smile can resolve anything just like it did for me. After writing this paper, we

had to upload it on the This I Believe website so that others can read our stories and maybe
gain something from them. Knowing that anyone can read such a personal story of mine made
me nervous but I knew that my story can mean something to someone out there.
The second project that I received in freshmen year was the Polynomials project by Ms.
Ali.This was an interesting project because we had to investigating the HIV rates in Niger,
Africa.(slide 3) We had to plug in all of the HIV rates that theyve had in the past years into
graphs. This project affected my growth in knowledge because before this, I knew nothing
about the statistics Nigeria had concerning HIV. The numbers were outstanding so I knew that
my group and I had to figure out why that was. After that project I became a much more
concerning and interested person always asking why? how? or How can I help?
After my first year was finally over, I was so happy to move up the hierarchy triangle and
become a sophomore. This was the year that got me ready for the real world. Up until this point I
never started thinking about college like where am I going? what am i going to become? but
after going to the college field trips I felt more at ease with my situation and became a lot more
college ready. (Slide 4)After going to Channel Islands, I knew that the research had to start now.
I finally research colleges/ Universities that offered what i wanted to major in which was social
work. I came across many schools but ultimately decided on CSUN. Without these College field
trips, I don't think that my college research would have started so early, I would probably be
waiting till first semester of senior year to decide. I'm so appreciative to have had the opportunity
to attend those college field trips.
The next major project that got me ready for the real world was VEI for environmental
science in Ms. Tupaz class. Im sure you all know what VEI stood for and the tasks that were to
be completed but all of our experiences were different. (Slide 5)With this project I was able to

take action around my neighborhood which was something I have never done before. I never
went out to the streets and collected trash into a trash bag and never did I think I ever was. Even
though I returned with filthy hands and a sock tan, this experience had taught me so much. There
is a huge problem in our neighborhoods and that is filthy streets. We see no one doing anything
about it but we are the first to complain. I finally learned that if I complain about something that
needs to change I should be the first to bring that change. This project was like the Nigerian
project but this time instead of asking how I can help, I came up with a solution.
The year that everyone dreads was finally here, Junior year. Everyone says that its the
toughest year to get through but honestly I think that all depends on you. For me it wasn't the
toughest year but it was the most gut wrenching because I'm almost done with high school. For
Shojis class we were given a book Catcher in the Rye which is about a teen boy going through
some PTSD due to his troubled past. We then had to get a group together and create a
presentation about PTSD among adolescents. My group and I presented our project to w room
filled of parents. Oh man was that the toughest thing I had ever done.(Slide 6) This project
actually helped me gain academic success. Being able to present in front of a huge audience is
very important in college and being able to speak clearly is important for my future career.
Coming from a person that isn't very shy but when it comes to speaking to an audience i begin to
stutter and become very nervous. This showed me how to be much more confident in front of
people which will then allow me to succeed in any future situation. Although it was one of the
toughest projects ive ever completed, I know now that because of this I will be able to confront
any obstacle that involves speaking and presenting and come out a winner.
Something that also made me come out a winner was completing the AIDS WALK which
is 6.2 miles.(Slide 7) Attending the walk was such an amazing experience because i was able to

see people from all over the place, people with different preferences from mine, and people
gathered for the one purpose. Although there were many people supporting the cause, there were
a few that were opposed to the whole thing. They are many people from the LGBTQ community
that support this cause so of course there will be a group of protesters fighting and protesting that
what they do is a sin and completely wrong. In my opinion i think that what those protesters
were doing was wrong and they should have never been there in the first place, but they are
entitled to their own opinion. This event helped me recognize different perspectives. I know
that not everyone will agree with what you do or what you believe but you do always have to
stay true to you. You can listen to what others have to say but they should never influence your
decision because the only voice that should be heard is yours.
Now I'm finally a senior and I can't express how relieved I am that its finally here. I will
almost be able to say that I'm a highschool graduate but I can't get too excited because the
projects aren't over yet. One of the last few projects I was to complete was the job shadowing
project assigned by Ms.Burnett. (slide 8)It didn't really feel like a project it felt more of a life
experience that I could get easy class points for. We were to find someone that works in the field
that one day we hope to work in as well and spend the day with them. The point was to see if that
was really what we wanted to do in the future. It got me career ready for many reasons one
being that now I have no doubt in my mind that what I want to be doing is helping out families
by becoming a social worker. I was able to shadow Evelyn, a family advocate and through her I
was to see the interactions she had with the families and how she had established a bond. I also
got to hear first hand what she had to go through personally to get to where she is now. She
advised me of the schooling, classes, and jobs you have to complete first to become a social

worker. Without this life experience I would maybe have had a few doubts concerning my
career choice but now thank goodness that I dont have any whatsoever.
Now the project that came along was assigned in financial algebra by Mrs.Stearn. The
project involved looking up the history and the current information about Social Security. Prior
to this project, I didn't know anything about Social Security or the benefits that it has. Thanks to
this project I investigated the world around us. Everyone in this world deserves to have Social
Security due to the benefits that it allows us to have. It allows orphans, widowers, disabled etc. to
attain money after a tragic event. This project allowed me to obtain an outside view of our world.
US citizens are lucky to have such a program like S.S.
Now comes the part where I give my advice, you may or may not find it useful but its
always good to hear it out. The advice I have for the V.I.S.A. faculty is to come up with a better
tardy system. I call myself the tardy queen which is nothing to be proud of but oh my, waiting in
that long line has caused me detention, morning phone calls and senior activities being taken
away. If it wasnt for the long wait I would have never received my senior contract. I can come to
school a minute late but because Im waiting, I end up being 7 minutes late. All those minutes,
which arent even mine, add up and its not fair. You guys should get a system that allows the
students to scan their IDs to keep track of when they arrive to school. That will tell you exactly
how many minutes they're late and then you can make them accountable for the real number of
minutes they are late.
The advice I give to the underclassmen is to keep track of their community service hours.
Leaving all of your community service to the last minute is not something you want to leave for
the end of the school year. It is tough to catch up once you are so behind. You should really
listen, especially coming from me someone who still needs to finish hers, because I've had them

removed due to my tardiness, you should really listen. Every semester make sure that you have at
least 15 hours done so that by the end of the school year, you'll have your 30 hours complete.
Also, Leandro offers so many opportunities that can help you complete your hours one being the
Cesar Chavez march. Don't let those opportunities slip through your fingers because later on you
won't know how to make them all up. And remember, if you complete all your hours on time,
none of the senior activities will be taken away and you have one less thing to stress over about.
The rest of your senior year will be yours.