Samantha Esquivel

Planning For Life After High School

All StoriesSamantha Esquivel04/30/20120

It’s the final stretch from now until graduation for high school seniors across the state, deciding what to do after graduation with the guidance of their counselors and parents. With the pressure of trying to find out what may be best for them, continuing their education is generally a tough decision as opposed to going directly into the work force.

Elizabeth Carrasco, a guidance counselor at San Luis High School in Santa Cruz County, said that the major concern causing stress and pressure for seniors is that they don’t know what they want to major in right now.

“Indicating what major may result in [their] housing, and orientation, which is nerve wrecking for them,” Carrasco said.

During this economy encouraging students to continue education after high school graduation is important as opposed to jumping into the working world in just a couple of weeks. Typically by their senior year, students have a good idea if they want to go to a college, university, or work.

“We are always encouraging them to look at other options to see what suits their needs,” Carrasco said. She shows her students’ salary comparisons for those with and without degrees.

“It does make a difference to have an education,” Carrasco said.

Public Employee Unions Fight to Stay Alive

All StoriesSamantha Esquivel02/06/20120

READ THE BILLS

Legislators kicked public employee unions to the curb last week through a sweeping set of bills approved along partisan lines but taking away local control could hurt small towns where public employees are smaller in number but hold vital roles in community.

“The smaller the town you look at, a school district in a small town school district is going to be your No. 1 employer,” said Joe Thomas, vice president of the Arizona Education Association.

“You try to work with your employees as much as you can to where they want to live there, they want to be a part of the community,” Thomas said. “The idea of sitting down at a table and talking through a budget with the people that are going to be impacted by it, at the squad car level, at the classroom level, or at the waterworks level, that would be very much in line with small-town values.”