the
beyond our gates
utlook
What world awaits today’s high school graduate?
photo-illustration by
Michealla Foules
O brave new world ...
that has such
questions
spring 2015
At the turn of
the 20th century,
one out of 15
people finished
high school.
An eighth grade
education was
enough for one
breadwinner to
take care of a
family. Fifty years
ago, high school
graduation
was much
more common,
and with that
diploma, many
could enter the
workforce ready
to earn a living
wage. Today’s
world, however,
is far different.
High school
graduation
numbers have
never been
higher, and
yet many still
struggle. Why?
And for those
who earn the
diploma, what
opportunities
and what
challenges follow?
2
the
beyond our gates
utlook
spring 2015
Obstacles plague today’s students
Phillicity Uriarte-Jones
When asked where you are from,
and you reply “Stockton,” people may
crack jokes such as, “Oh, do you wear a
bulletproof vest to school?” or “Are you
in a gang?” Harmless comments perhaps, but how do they ultimately affect a
young person? Does the city’s reputation
change how one thinks of oneself?
Yes, Stockton has a high crime rate.
In fact, it commonly finds itself listed
among the top 10 most dangerous cities
in the country. The city has filed for bankruptcy, the foreclosure rate is high and we
don’t have a public four-year university.
But beyond that are a plethora of
stereotypes and generalities placed upon
Stocktonians unfairly and unjustly.
Stocktonians are judged as soon as their
place of residence is known. Accomplishments tend to be overlooked; accolades hold little value. People begin to
believe these stereotypes and expect less
of themselves. The motivation to “become something” disappears, condemning them to the life of the stereotypically
uneducated and ignorant.
Despite these shortcomings, obstacles, and labels, we make do. With various
programs for our youth and specialized
schools, students find ways to escape the
stereotypes tightly associated with Stockton. From a young age many are placed
on waiting lists for magnet schools by
parents eager to have their children escape
the confines of stereotypes.
Once in high school, more opportunities arise. Many apply to specialty
high schools such as Stockton Early College Academy, Franklin’s International
Baccalaureate program, Health Careers
Academy and Pacific Law Academy. Others who attend one of the comprehensive
high schools participate in rigorous programs that emphasize engineering, fine
arts or journalism. Honors and Advanced
Placement courses also add opportunities.
Finding the right program increases
the probability of students being successful, and, in fact, our city-wide dropout
rate has dropped significantly over the
past 10 years. However, once a student
enters one of these programs that does
Falling behind
makes it hard
to ever catch up
GOING IT
ALONE
Living with aunt and uncle,
senior takes care of himself
as he prepares for college
Celine Lopez
Jonathon Ivy puts his
hood over his head and
digs his hands in his pockets as he walks to the bus
stop, lugging both school
bags and cello. The Stagg
High School senior arrives
to the stop at his usual
time, only to find out the
schedule had changed and
the bus actually left earlier. He stands in the dark
morning, adjusts the cello
and two bags on his shoulders, and waits for the next
bus. He gets to school, he’s
an hour late.
Living approximately five miles away from
school, Ivy somehow manages rides to and from
school without help from
family.
He lives with his aunt,
uncle, and two cousins,
one 18 and the other 3.
As his aunt and uncle keep
busy schedules, Ivy is usually left without a way to
get places. He takes the
bus and relies on friends
to get other places, usually
with cello in tow.
“I try to plan as independently as possible,” he
said. Whenever he wants
to go somewhere, he must
always plan out a way to
get there. “I’m used to
walking.”
Despite limited support, Ivy takes three Advanced Placement classes,
one honors course, and
orchestra, a class he’s taken since the fifth grade.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday right after
school, he practices with
the jazz band until it’s
time for swim or water
polo practice. On Tuesdays, he misses practice to
take private cello lessons.
“My schedule is ridiculous,” he said. “There’s
never a day where I’m
home before 5:30.”
Once home, he balances homework with
more cello practice. When
he has to baby-sit his
younger cousin, his attention can’t be taken away
from the child and he’s unable to do any homework.
Somehow, Ivy has maintained a 3.89 grade-point
average and is ranked No.
20 in his senior class.
For Ivy’s family, money has always been an is-
not mean that a great future is assured.
Stockton is still an impoverished area despite the opportunities it offers its ambitious young citizens.
Those fortunate enough to earn
university acceptance still have to worry
about cost. Financial aid along with some
scholarships may make all the difference
or may be less than enough. Those who
encounter the latter tend to take a slower
path. Having already made it so far, community college is not a terrible option. In
many cases it is the most logical.
If there is one thing successful students from this area have proven, it is
this: Ambition and persistence can get
you anywhere in life, despite where you
come from.
Jerry Garcia stared
into the grass field. “I feel
like it’s hopeless now,” the
Stagg High School senior
said. “By the end of my
junior year, I knew I wasn’t
graduating.”
This is how some students in Stockton Unified
School District feel when
thinking about how their
past is affecting their future. Some blame their
own bad decisions while
others say they wish they’d
had
more support.
photo by Celine Lopez
It
was Garcia’s “poor
Transportation to and from school and to music
decisions”
that got him
practice is always something Stagg senior Jonathon
kicked out of Health CaIvy must take care of on his own. He has become acreers Academy midway
customed to carrying his cello onto the bus.
into his sophomore year.
He transferred to Stockton
sue. Even asking for $20 piano. Every instrument
High to recover credits.
or money to pay for the he’s used to practice on
He came to Stagg
AP tests, he says, is a bur- has been borrowed. Right
to begin his junior year.
den for his aunt.
now, Stagg’s orchestra pro- “There was a lot more supDespite his family’s gram is lending him a cel- port here than HCA, but
financial state, he has al- lo. Next year, he hopes to it was too late to recover at
ways known he wants to receive a scholarship from that point.” go to college. Ivy was ac- the Central Valley Youth
Garcia lived in central
cepted to the University Symphony to get his own Stockton and had to travel
of Pacific’s Conservatory cello or use financial aid quite a distance to attend
of Music and received money to purchase one.
Stagg. His parents would
$40,000 in grants and
“I chose music be- soon separate, leaving him
scholarships. He still will cause I’m good in it, I’m with his mom, brother and
have to take out $18,000 passionate about it, and sister in a one-bedroom
a year in loans. One thing I feel like I can really go apartment. He would ride
he may not have: a cello.
somewhere in it,” Ivy said. his skateboard or walk
Ivy plays the cello, “It’s the one thing that I’m to school in the mornbass, drums, ukulele, and really good at.”
ing some days because his
mom had to work or take
care of his siblings. Being
frequently late, combined
with more poor decisions,
made him lose more credits during his junior year.
At the end of that year
he was told he wouldn’t be
graduating.
“It was just a combination of bad things. Getting kicked out of HCA,
my parents divorcing, my
mom stressing to take care
of us — it was hard.”
Stagg junior Destiny
Shepherd wishes she’d had
greater support when she
first got to high school.
“I’ll admit it: I had an
‘I don’t care’ attitude my
freshman year,” she said.
The ninth grade year
is proving to be the pivotal
year in determining a student’s ultimate success.
She said that she even
had to take the initiative to
talk to her counselor about
her lack of credits. Once
she did that, her counselor
put her into an Apex class,
an online credit recovery
program. But this didn’t
help much, she said, since
she struggles with individualized learning. She
ended up dropping Apex.
No longer on track to
graduate, Shepherd wishes
she’d gotten more support
early on.
doing work for nothing.
He doesn’t understand why schools differ
in credits. “It made everything harder,” he said.
To catch up, he attends adult school every
day after school until 5. “I
will be doing adult school
till the end of my senior
year,” he said.
Ana Laura Gonzalez Coria graduated from
Stagg in 2008 and University of the Pacific in 2013,
“because it was all so confusing and chaotic.” When
she finally moved back to
Stagg she found a teacher
and a counselor who both
helped her recover the
credits she needed.
“It’s thanks to them
that I felt confident in
my ability to catch up on
school work and graduate.”
Gonzalez Coria now
teaches in Spain and plans
to go to graduate school.
Devin Wickstrom
Changing schools makes success more difficult
Sathina Flores
Austin Jimenez, a
junior, remembers his
first day at McNair High
School. “I didn’t know
anyone and it was sad not
seeing my old friends.”
Jimenez has been
changing schools since
his freshman year back
and forth between Stagg
and McNair, the school
he is currently attending.
Switching schools has
been difficult for him. He
said he cannot enjoy a stable school life because he’s
always moving.
Transiency is a problem for many students.
It is difficult for them to
find stability.
During the beginning
of his junior year Jimenez
found out he had lost
credits because of changing schools so often. He
said he was really upset
because he felt that he was
but her journey had many
twists and turns.
She spent her first
two years at Franklin before moving to a school in
Oregon, then to another
school in Oregon, then
Stagg for 30 days, then
to Oregon again. Finally
her last semester of high
school was spent at Stagg.
“It’s a very difficult
position to be in when
you are the new kid,” she
said. Moving at first was
very difficult. At Franklin, she had established
friendships, relationships
and stability. “Not having
that stability really hurt
me academically,” she
said. She had to take additional classes because of
the conflicting academic
calendars when she moved
from Oregon to Stagg.
“I felt like I was behind in all my subjects and
I started to lose interest in
going to school,” she said,
the
beyond our gates
utlook
Jada Johnson
years on the farm versus four years “figuring out if (he wants) to do something
different.”
Despite not wanting to stay after
his senior year, Arburua feels the family
farm is where he wants to be.
“When you grow up around something with no breaks,” he said, “It’s pretty much what you’re going to do.”
Cal Poly only accepts about half of
photo courtesy of Vincente Arburua
Vincente Arburua has always been hard working in both the classroom and on
the family farm. His family has recently suggested that college is not necessary.
Hard work, dedication
help graduates to succeed
cultural beliefs and what they expected
Matt Danforth
of a female. Still, she said, she “was work
Getting to college can be a difficult ing at Burger King, writing for journalprocess for any student. But for former ism, being involved in MESA, and so
Stagg students Ashley Jucutan and Del- many other things.” She constantly had
something going on, but
lanira Alcauter, it was esshe had to be responsible
pecially difficult.
for everything since her
Jucutan become a
parents were not supportpart of the 117,000 girls
ive of her extra activities.
nationwide to become
Similarly, Jucutan did
pregnant between the ages
not have the best relationof 15 and 17. “I was only
ship with her mother. “I
a few weeks into senior
always seemed to be fightyear when I found out I
ing with my mother and
was expecting,” she said.
we were very distant from
She said she knew at that
each other. If I saw black,
point that nothing would
she saw white.” She reever be the same for her
members having minimal
and that she’d have to
support from her mothwork even harder to get
er and that she “always
anywhere in life. “This
wanted me to make better
has sort of carried over
decisions.”
into my current struggles
However, she raves
in college.”
about the support from
Once Jucutan found
her husband’s family, even
out she was pregnant
after their divorce. “They
and realized she couldn’t
really accepted me and
deal with the pressure of
helped me to get my GED
pregnancy and school,
and I even went to church
she dropped out of high
with them. They were the
school and moved in with
ellanira family I never had.”
her new husband. After
having another child and
lcauter Despite what people
told her about being from
obtaining her General
Class of 2014 Stockton, Alcauter got acEquivalency Diploma, Jucutan set aside her dream of college to cepted to the University of California,
work to support her family. “I always San Diego. “My counselors told me I
dreamed of going to college but I knew I would never get accepted to a prestigious
had an obligation to my children to give school like that,” she said. “But I worked
as hard as I could and applied myself in
them the best I could,” she said.
Alcauter’s problem stemmed from everything I did and I got in.”
the restraints her parents had placed on For Jucutan, after getting married,
her. “They didn’t want me to move far adding three more children to her family,
away to college when that’s what I really and continuing to work, her family and
wanted.” Her main conflict was hiding friends encouraged her to finally get her
from her parents the fact that she was degree. “It took a while but once we were
applying to colleges and getting accept- more stable, my husband helped me to
ed. Whereas other parents would have gain the confidence to go for my degree,”
praised their daughter for taking such Jucutan said. “After all this time, I don’t
initiative and being so successful, her regret getting pregnant because it made
parents were not comfortable with her me who I am today and I hope that I
leaving home, in part because of their continue to work hard for my children.”
“They didn’t
want me to
move far away
to college
when that’s
what I really
wanted.”
D
A
3
Senior must choose between going away
to college and staying to help his family
ON THE FENCE:
Vincente Arburua has always had
a job waiting for him. From dusk till
dawn, his family farms sheep until it’s
time to count them.
“I’m set financially,” the Stagg High
School senior said about college. Yet, he
feels restricted.
“I’ve been saving my money my
whole life.” He’s only paid for two
things, a tennis racquet and a viola and
is often singled out as being one of the
few millennials with a flip phone. His
parents have paid for everything else and
even promised to pay for half of his college tuition.
Cal Poly Pomona seems to be his
No. 1 choice, but his parents have something else in mind.
“When they asked me to stay and
work in the business,” he said, “I felt like
I had put a lot of time and effort into
high school.”
His parents, he said, believe going
to college at this point would be wasteful. Now the salutatorian, the real waste,
he said, would be to spend the next four
spring 2015
its applicants and the hardest majors to
get accepted into statistically are their engineering programs. Yet, he was admitted
under plant sciences and now wants to
major in agricultural engineering rooted
through his 17 years on the farm.
“Everyone on the outside says, ‘oh
just go to college,” he said. However,
his family of four run the sheep farm on
their own with “no outside help.” His
older brother was able to go to University of the Pacific and has now returned
to the farm. But Arburua never applied
there because he “wanted to go a little
farther.”
Despite wanting to get out to “get
a different experience,” it’s almost like
choosing the lesser of two evils, he said.
“You know it’s like I can go and enjoy the next four years and feel selfish or
I can stay and work,” which would make
him feel selfless, he said.
With the slight chance that there
might be something more or that he
might change his mind, his likely choice
is to go to Cal Poly Pomona.
“I don’t want to limit myself,” Arburua said.
‘It’s only Delta’
Community colleges provide stepping stone
before moving on to a four-year school
Veronica Vargo
Where will I go to begin the rest of my life?
That’s the question
lingering in the minds of
many high school seniors.
It is also a question that
must be answered, along
with paying a deposit, by
May 1. The answer is rarely as simple as “Where is
the nearest beach?” More
often it’s “Where can I afford to go?”
For Veroni Khoonsrivong, being accepted to
New York University was
not enough to take the
financial risk. For Megan Maxey, not receiving
financial aid made the
choice for her. For Brian
Ratto, it was the most
logical choice for him and
his family.
Ratto is in his 11th
year at San Joaquin Delta
College and has finally decided on a major in order
to transfer to Sacramento
State.
He is one of many
students choosing a community college as a stepping stone to a four-year
degree. Cost and convenience makes it an attractive choice.
“Life got in the way,”
said Ratto with a look of
exhaustion. “I got stuck
and I failed math.”
The 30 year old LGBTQ rights activist has
been juggling transportation, two to three jobs,
and helping out his family all while trying to get
a start on life, and now he
says he is finally ready to
take on the world.
While Ratto steps
out, Maxey is stepping in.
In her second semester,
she is already two-thirds
of the way to her planned
transfer to a California
State University.
After touring many
colleges with her parents and looking over her
grades, Maxey decided,
“This isn’t going to happen.”
The freshman is at
Delta on the Passport
to College program that
grants her two free years.
Because she comes from a
“middle class white family,” she is otherwise ineligible for financial aid. The
average student at Delta
remains for about two to
three years, but she is suc-
“I got stuck
and I failed
math.”
Brian Ratto
Delta College
Class of 2015
cessfully making it shorter. The Advanced Placement courses Maxey took
at Liberty Ranch High
School reduce the amount
of units she needs to take
to an average of 18 units a
semester in order to finish
in three semesters.
Khoonsrivong, a Lincoln High School graduate, was not in any rush
to leave. Although NYU
was an option, he “had no
money” and decided on
Delta. He plans to transfer to San Francisco State
in the fall.
His eyes searched for
a focal spot on the floor
and his hands held their
place in midair. “I locked
myself in my room for
like a day. I just figured
everything happens for a
reason.” The move to the
big city would be a “big
step” but the smaller step
was “more affordable.”
Stagg High alumna
Jessica Lazo went the frugal way too. Coming from
a single parent household,
Lazo sees Delta as the “institution that allowed (her)
to be exposed to different
pathways.” She knew that
Delta could be a “starting point for (her) college
career,” as she went on to
graduate from University
of California Merced.
May 1 may not be decision day for all seniors.
Many choose a community college, whether for
family, cost or location.
They know, however, that
it is just the beginning.
4
the
beyond our gates
My voice
utlook
spring 2015
‘It was my decision not to go to college’
I
’ve always been
viewed as the star pupil. There was never
a year I didn’t get citizen
of the month or a time
my family didn’t refer to
me as the “genius child.”
So when I made the bold
proclamation that receiving a high school diploma
was enough for me, my
entire world was rocked.
I didn’t want to go to
college. I never thought I
would.
At my eighth grade
promotion, I stood on
stage at my and gave
my presidential speech.
Everyone was expecting
me to address the day,
the accomplishment as
being a stepping stone
for college. I refused to
jump ahead to a future I
couldn’t want.
I planned on taking the SAT and getting
a good score. I planned
on being a 4.0 student.
I planned on being a
scholar just so that I
could say, “It was my
decision not to go to
college. I could’ve. I just
chose not to to spare my
family debt.”
That control, that
sense that the decision
was my choice, meant everything to me. Because
for my entire life, despite
What challenges
make graduation,
college difficult?
“My parents have
to pay for nine
college tuitions.
I’m scared that
one day they
won’t be able to
send my youngest
sister to college.”
Jada Johnson
being the youngest girl
of my family of 8, I was
looked considered the
example. To set the standard. To get straight A’s.
Junior, Stagg
“I don’t really
understand the
credit system. I’m
kind of nervous
about that.”
James Green
Junior, Stagg
“I never expected
high school to
be this hard. My
parents expect a
lot from me.”
Claudia SantaCruz
Junior,
Pacific Law Academy
The Outlook was produced
by members of the
Stagg Line newspaper staff
of A. A. Stagg High School
of Stockton, CA, under the
guidance of adviser Don Bott,
for the Educational Summit
held Saturday, April 11, 2015.
how difficult it would be
for me as well.
From kindergarten to
12th grade, I’ve worked
for the same goal: to
graduate. But it was not
until my junior year that
I sought crossing another
stage. It was then that I
understood I wanted to
go to college for me. I realized there was no need
to let fear get in the way
anymore.
I’ve received acceptances from four out of
seven schools, something
I had never anticipated.
With this came another
decision, which college
I’d call my home.
San Diego State University received my letter
of intent March 15. I’m
glad to say I’ll wear red
and black with pride.
In four years, I’ll be
over $30,000 in debt. I
have no idea how I will
pay it off but I know now
that my college experience, academically and
socially, will be priceless.
For this, I am not worried
about regretting my decision. Rather I’m relieved
that I’ve got a promised
future that’s bound to be
as bright as the sunny San
Diego days.
OUTSIDE
the NORM
Charter, specialty schools
offer experiences different
from comprehensives
Estefany Nunez
Christina Rodriguez
Achieving for others and not having any
money led me to believe
college wasn’t worth it.
And so when I was
asked if college was an
option for me I couldn’t
help but laugh.
Not only did I not
want to go, but the fact
that I was below the poverty line with a brother
next up to take a swing at
a university and my sister
already attending San
Diego State, there was a
slim to none chance that
I could go. I knew how
difficult it would be for
my mom to pay it off and
Smaller schools like
Stockton Early College
Academy and Weber Institute offer opportunities
for students in Stockton,
a community so often
criticized for its flaws. Students go to the these specialized schools to be one
step ahead when looking
out for their future. These
programs allow students
to get more experience in
the career they’re aiming
for or more preparation
for college.
Despite its challenges, Stockton is a
diverse home to many
ambitious
individuals.
The various charter and
specialty schools located
throughout the city are
some of the options beyond the comprehensive
high schools. Career focus
ranges from to science to
health careers to business. Sophomore
Malik
Turner from the Academy
of Business Law and Education wanted to is trying
a get a head start in his
hoped for job of being an
attorney. Though he at-
tended Stagg High School
his freshman year, he applied to ABLE after doing his research and made
the switch his sophomore
year.
The college courses
and high expectations
benefited Turner, he says.
A more hard working
environment was a thing
that he didn’t know he
wanted compared to his
past experience with other
charter schools. ABLE has
helped him realize what
was best for himself and
his education.
Common to all of
the specialty schools is a
smaller size. Unlike any of
the comprehensive high
schools, which could have
more than 2,000 students,
a specialty school is much
smaller. It also requires
students to go through an
application process. Not
all students can make it.
“You need a support
system consisting of family and friends and a good
work ethic,” said junior
Jasmine Mahan from
SECA. Now it being her
third year at the school,
she perceives herself as
photo by
Aliza Laroza
SECA sophomore Patrick Chanthilack gives Kevin
Patel, also a sophomore, some tips on his essay
for English. The sophomore English class read the
book “1984,” by George Orwell.
college bound.
From the beginning,
she’s aimed to work in
classes that make her leave
her comfort zone.
For some, they simply enrolled at a specialized school because of
location. It only takes
about three minutes for
sophomore Joseph Torres
to get to his school, Weber. At the institute, the
school is divided into four
academies: health, technology, automotive and
freshmen.
Torres says that the
knowledge he’s receiving
is free compared to if he
didn’t go, he would have
to pay for those classes in
college.
Currently studying
in the health academy,
Torres is excited for his
post-high school career
where Weber offers an internship that guarantees
a job as a certified nurse’s
assistant right out of high
school, at which time he
will earn both an associate of science and a high
school diploma. He’s confident that with both he’ll
be ready for the workforce
with all the preparation
he’s had.
But Torres doesn’t
think only certain schools
produce success. “Anyone
who is committed to becoming successful will,
no matter their environment.”