Giving Back To The Community

Jessica, a senior at San Juan Diego Catholic High School (SJDCHS), has attended private school since she was a fifth grader. She strongly believes that attending a private school for a large part of her education has allowed her to decide what she wants to do with her life and has given her a leg up when applying for colleges and narrowing down her career choices. “There’s a lot more work, I believe, that goes with attending a private school, but I think you learn more and have closer relationships with your classmates instead of having cliques like at public schools.”

The teachers at SJDCHS have been nothing but inspirational to Jessica. Educators such as Ms. Liu, the college counselor, and Mr. Bongard, the history teacher, have inspired Jessica to work hard and pursue her goals.  “Not only have I been taught to study and manage my time [at SJDCHS] but I’ve also learned how to have a good work-life balance.” With the help of college counselor Alison Liu, Jessica has been accepted to Lamar University and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, where she hopes to major in biology and eventually get her masters in marine biology.

Along with a private school education contributing to her work ethic, Jessica believes it has also contributed to knowing what she wants to do for her career, and that is Marine Biology. “I would always watch the discovery channel and watch people scuba dive and get to see the ocean. I want to help make the ocean healthier for not just us but the animals that inhabit it.” To further her dream of becoming a marine biologist, Jessica has also attended a sea camp in Galveston which taught her about scuba diving certification. “I want to eventually give back to other communities and help the environment. I believe I’ve had a really good starting off point with my education.”

Ambition Is Contagious

Born in Austin, with a love of playing for the SJD varsity soccer team and DJ-ing, senior Alex is well on his way to making his dream of being an entrepreneur come true. Before coming to San Juan Diego Catholic High School (SJDCHS), Alex graduated from Fulmore Middle School and had attended a charter school his ninth grade year. “I had no freedom there,” Alex says of the previous charter school he attended, “That’s when I found out about the CIP program at SJDCHS. After speaking with my parents they agreed, SJDCHS would be a better fit.”

Upon being accepted into SJDCHS, Alex was placed at Dell and was part of the marketing department. “I scored really well on the typing test Dell gave me, so they decided to put me in charge of selling and editing guides. I was also in charge of transferring them onto the websites for France and Portugal.” Alex attributes the success of his own DJ business to the work experience that he has gained in the marketing department at Dell. Alex has DJed at many of SJDCHS’s dances as well as other events for his family and friends. “I was always into music. I would save up to buy my own equipment and when my parents saw that I was serious about DJing, that’s when they started helping me achieve my dream.”

To realize his dream of one day owning his own business, Alex has applied to The University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas A&M Corpus Christi, where he hopes to study business and eventually get a master's degree. “I want to be my own boss someday; I want to grow my business so that I eventually have employees to run a full scale entertainment company. I’d also like to start recording.”

Alex is very thankful for his time here at SJDCHS and thanks teachers such as Mr. Bongard for motivating him to join the soccer team, and Mr. Speer for motivating him to push himself in school. Alex is a very ambitious young man and has big aspirations for making a name for himself with his career.