What have you learned that you wish someone had taught you/shared with you while you were at MVHS?
Laura García, MVHS Class of ‘08, UCSB Class of ‘12:
While at MVHS, I wish someone would have told me that the commitment, hard work and progress I make towards accomplishing a goal, is just as important as reaching a goal. I wish I would have known earlier in life that it is critical to have check-ins with yourself and ask yourself “what am I learning from this? How have I become better because of this?” and “what new things have a I discovered about myself through this experience?” When you reach your goal and reflect on everything you gained in the process, it will make your accomplishment much more meaningful- not only did you reach your goal, but you also gained empowerment, new knowledge, and wisdom.
Tina Ortiz, MVHS Class of ‘09, UCSB Class of ‘13:
[How to] manage your money, learn to cook, be kind, and enjoy life smartly. You are young and have so much potential, so don’t limit yourself. Also, appreciate your common sense. That is one of the many things I left high school with and learned not everyone had this.
Edgar Corona, MVHS Class of ‘08, Georgetown Class of ‘12:
The experience at MVHS is an insightful time to acquire unique skills that will stay with you through both your personal and professional journeys: time management, decision-making, continuous learning, adaptability and resilience. Your time as a Student does not end once you leave MVHS. Treat every experience as a learning opportunity and continue to remain curious, thoughtful and ambitious. These traits will keep you on the path to success.
Adam Carranza, MVHS Class of ‘04, La Verne Class of ‘08:
I wish someone would have shared with me that relationships change over time and in order for me to grow as a person it means that the people around me will also need to grow or change.
Karen Fuentes, MVHS Class of ‘17, (Sophomore at CSUF:
One of the main challenges I have encountered in college is time management. I struggled with balancing class assignments and work. All the guidance given to me helped me understand what I was about to face in college, but I don’t think it prepared me. Hearing teachers talk about college is like hearing someone tell you a good story, but once you are in college, you begin to understand that those stories mean something. You begin to understand the meaning of the advice your teachers are giving you, and hopefully, start to put into practice all the knowledge they shared with you. What I have learned is that the advice my teachers gave me prepared me mentally but not emotionally. Being emotionally prepared is something that every student has to experience on their own, or at least that is how it was for me.
Kimberly Caal Garcia, MVHS Class of ‘16, UCLA Class of ‘20:
I wish I would have learned about how to deal with stressful situations better. In high school, I was able to balance schoolwork, clubs, and cross-country and kind of thought that college would be easier. But college culture is mixed in with things like anxiety, depression, and a lot of pressure for a first generation student like me. Not to mention that at UCLA there is a lot of competition for letters of recommendation, internships, and research positions. While I knew that I was going at the only pace that I knew how, all of that kind of made me snap in a way that made me really believe I made the mistake of being at this institution. This isn’t a rare phase as other first generation and latinx students have mentioned that by their 2nd year, college doesn’t seem worth it anymore. Now as I am about to enter my fourth year, I regret having had that mindset affect my work, and whenever those thoughts come around I just take a moment to hype myself up and really acknowledge that I am doing the best I can.
What did you learn at MVHS that has been most helpful to you?
Edgar Corona, MVHS Class of ‘08, Georgetown Class of ‘12:
On the academic side, I benefited most from taking the challenging courses at MVHS, including but not limited to, Calculus, English AP, Economics, Physics and Physiology. The material was stimulating. Once I arrived at Georgetown University, I did not necessarily use all the content that I learned in these courses but I did reflect on how studying for these courses in high school taught me discipline, resilience and determination. This approach was similar once I thought back to the sports that I participated in at MVHS. No job is too big or too difficult. You will get results as long as you put in the time and effort.
Kimberly Caal Garcia, MVHS Class of ‘16, UCLA Class of ‘20:
I think my favorite lesson that I have learned from MVHS and my overall high school experience is always asking myself questions:
Did I make it to all my classes this quarter? Yes.
Did I ask for help and or found a way to figure it out on my own? Yes. I learned this whenever I made small accomplishes in whatever I was struggling in.
Did I beat my Bonelli Park (xc reference) time? Yes.
Was I the fastest runner? No, but I finished my race.
Am I good at computer science? Not at all, but I did make something that I think is pretty cool.
Am I proud of what I have done? Yes.
Using this mechanism, I have been able to motivate myself to keep trying (even though most of us don’t know what we’re doing here!)
Adam Carranza, MVHS Class of ‘04, La Verne Class of ‘08:
I learned from a mentor at MVHS that the words “please” and “thank you” are free, use them freely. People like to be acknowledged for what they do and these two phrases are easy to let people know you appreciate them.
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