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Jacqueline Hernandez
April/23/15
Ms.Ma
Advisory
Retrospective
All I can say is finally, Im sure all of you will once. (images of past schools slide) The
two differences from students here at Vaughn and I was that I wasnt here at Vaughn my whole
life and I knew from the start what I wanted to do. I wasnt chosen in the raffle but was chosen
from Vaughn directly. Vaughn wasnt one of my first choices. I was furious with my parents
because they chose Vaughn for me when I wanted to go to Pacoima Middle School or Maclay
Middle to stay with my friends. I have realized over time attending Visa that it was different
compared to other schools. I notice that the other schools I could have attended wouldnt have
challenged me. Im individual who loves a challenge and this is exactly what this school brings
to the table. I dont regret coming here and call me crazy but Im in love with this school.

(Freshman year slide) Freshman year was a rocky start in my high school life. I came into
V.I.S.A with a 3.8-3.9 and sadly that went down to a 2.6. The projects became much more
rigorous and the homework piled on day by day. Although, the projects being assigned have
helped me develop in many ways. One of the projects that helped me grow in academic success
was the Adopt A Family Project in Digital Literacy class. This project consisted of learning
fundamental skills such as researching the family to adopt and writing skills when providing a

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information of our intentions as well as what the purpose of the project was. There were many
more skills I learned that all pertained to growth in my academic skills. This project basically
gave me the taste of the things I would be doing in the future in V.I.S.A.

(Second Freshman year slide) Another project I really enjoyed during freshman year was
the Safety Project. My group and I came across this problem of Internet safety; many people
look at the Internet and realize how unsafe it is. Therefore we felt the need to spread awareness
throughout our community. Together we composed a prezi that informed everyone about the
dangers in the Internet and what are things that can do in order to avoid these events from
happening. This project helped me in my communicating skills by learning to interact with my
team and how we could produce a good prezi that will really get our point across to the audience.
Communicating with my team and the audience was a challenging objective because I was
somewhat quite and not so comfortable. Overall this project helped me a lot and have increase
my vocabulary overtime with all the presentations that were needed really helped me support my
communicating skills.

(Sophomore year slide) Once becoming a sophomore I became much more confident
within myself and was glad to move up the pyramid of high school. Little did I know is that the
grades and subjects become harder than before. Math was one of my favorite subjects and in
Sophomore year one of the projects that helped me with college readiness was the Room Tile
Project. The project helped me by using my math skills in a way in which I will be able to use it
in the future. The project consisted of mathematical equations as well as critical thinking. This
helps me prepare for college and life because in the future I will most likely take an art class that

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will need me to draw a building and I will be able to build the structure easier and identical. This
can also benefit me in the future when moving into a house or apartment. I will have to be able to
measure the room in order to move in furniture and see if it would fit.

(Sophomore Year slide) Ive always been a person that will stand up for what I believe in
and well you can say that I love to argue too. Therefore when I heard we were having a Debate
Project in Environmental Science I was excited and took the leading part of the debate for my
team. Around this time I have gained a lot of experience with communication and was confident
that I would be able to give us a solid 5 min introduction. This project helped me improve in
many things as well as I learned how to recognize perspectives. Although this project was
specifically about proving a point and collecting evidence and data, I had observed everyone else
point of view in class. My perspective did not change but it also provided me with knowledge of
the other side. This also helped me pinpoint ideas the other team mention and counter argue.
Other than that I enjoyed observing multiple perspectives from my fellow scholars.

(Junior year slide) My junior year was one of my best years although there was a lot of
testing and of course projects and such. Which leads me to tell you about another projects I
enjoyed very much during my junior year and that definitely rubbed all the indolence off of my
group and I was the Food Industry Project. In this project we read a book called The Jungle by
Sinclair Lewis that demonstrated how restaurant could have more to show than just its external
illustration of itself. Usually my father and mother would take us out to eat once a week or two
weeks but it was our family time to enjoy and think about positive memories we had in the past.
This project has helped me in investigating the world because I became much more aware of my

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environment and surroundings such as places I eat at our places I go to. When going into on of
my favorite restaurants with my groups we observed the tables, the bathrooms, and asked for
napkins. This provided us with information about their sanitation within the workers themselves
and the whole environment of the place. So far our inspection on the restaurant passed. Other in
the class did not have positive things to say about their restaurant. This really opened my eyes
and helped me acknowledge how this can affect the world around us. Since that day I
investigated different places and restaurants as well as anywhere I would go to.

(Second Junior year slide) More than half way there but at V.I.S.A there is no such thing
as break. Most projects here consist of presentations and getting ready for the future. One of the
projects that helped me grow in career readiness and future preferences was Presenting to
Bertcorona about topics such as individuals who suffer with mental illnesses such as depression.
This project idea came from a book we read in class names The Catcher in the Rye that
informs us about the main characters struggles in life with a mental illness. The character
struggled a lot in thinking he was alone in the subject and therefore we decided to inform middle
scholars about this specific illness. This project helped me grow in career readiness because it
helped me learn how for a presentation to give you have to make sure to engaged the audience
and have an organized presentation with a lot information although you have to keep in mind to
get the point across clearly. This will help me in the future when giving a presentation in my
career field.

(Senior Year Slide) Senior year who would have thought that a girl living in a poverty
stricken environment could have made it this far with so much negative energy and malignant
temptations. Im proud of myself in all aspects and cant wait for college. Then again with a huge

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fear of life in reality so this lead teacher from V.I.S.A to help and guide students to figure out
what they want in life and who they really are. Throughout my whole time in V.I.S.A I have seen
how each and every assigned project is a contribution to a better future yet the project assigned
from the one and only Ms.Burnette, The Queen B, was one of the most challenging one of all.
One of the Proactive Projects called The Mask Project assigned helped me grow in knowledge
of who I am and the process of getting to where I want to be in life. In this project we learned
about ourselves and incorporated our characteristics through symbols, colors, and illustrations
within the mask. This project just made me realize so much about myself and made me realize
how life shapes people to who they are today. Not just myself but also how my fellow classmates
became who they are and really just dumbfounded me when I didnt know much about my
friends either. Overall, this project made me learn in knowledge completely and was the best
project that Vaughn hold today. Another Proactive Project that made me take action for a better
and brighter future for myself is the Hierarchy Dream Job Poster in which took a lot of
researching and planning. I took action by becoming more aware of what it takes to do to be a
laboratory technician causing me to make sure to plan ahead. I would have thought before how it
would take science classes and graduate which would lead me to become a research doctor.
Although now I have learned that it takes more than college and a few classes of science. If this
project did not make me take action and get out there ask questions and research about this job I
would not have known the fundamental skills needed as well as the steps or planning I must take.

(Conclusion and Farewell slide) Overall like I mentioned before I really like this school
and if your looking for a challenge this is the school to go to as many of you may know. I know
right now most of the students here would rather leave this school or say how crazy I am but if
you accept the fact that their really helping you it makes your life easier and you feel much more

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grateful. Now the school is close to perfect and some changes that could be made to benefit both
the student and the school would be hiring more math teachers or providing the student with
afterschool math programs that will help the students with their grade. Another suggestion I have
for V.I.S.A is maybe having more Chinese teachers because a foreign language is never easy to
learn and if you have many teachers with different teaching techniques it would help a lot more.
One more person they should hire should be in the field of college counseling because many of
us should know how hectic it gets and confusing when it comes to college applications and
documents needed. One person cannot help all 500 to 600 kids. Other than that somethings I
would like to advice to the underclassmen is read, do your reflections, take as many college
classes as you can, try your best and never give up. I can honestly go on with the advice but all
that matters in the end is if you feel like you gave it your all and accomplished whatever you
wanted to accomplish then your good. Dont stress you guys are almost there!