Trojans triumph after high school

Isis Poulose, Paul Friesen, Alexis Alburo, Josie de la Torre, Ruby Yang, and Daniel Anilao graduated with the class of 2021. Though they all came from CVHS, they have taken different paths after high school to pursue their interests further. Some go off to college—private school, University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), or community college—and some pursue work or the military. These six graduates share their experiences after high school.

Private universities

Both Isis Poulose and Paul Friesen chose to go to private schools, Poulose at Fordham College and Friesen at George Fox University. These schools are dramatically different from high school given Fordham is a private school in New York City and George Fox is a private Christian university in Oregon.

“I love being in NYC and I love the school I go to,” said Poulose. “It’s such a good fit for me, but it’s hard being away from my friends and family.”

One change Poulose notices between high school and college is the difference in community types. At CVHS she saw groups of people from each class almost every day, but now at Fordham, she sees groups of people on a more limited schedule. For example, in high school Poulose would see her choir class almost every day, creating a tight bond between them, but in college, she only sees her choir class once a week.

Friesen, on the other hand, has had a different experience with college. 

“Personally I don’t really like it,” he said. “I have a really close relationship with my family, so it’s been really hard to be away from them.” 

Friesen also mentioned how he feels his classes are boring: difficulty-wise, they are much like how high school classes were for him. He thought that high school was better since it was the first time he was learning the material, so it was more fun. He says that the workload at George Fox is also pretty similar to the workload at CVHS.

UC

After graduation, Alexis Alburo chose to go to UC Berkeley to pursue her studies in bioengineering. Alburo has been on the path to studying engineering since sophomore year, due to the pathway program offered at CVHS. 

“Having a general idea of what I wanted helped me decide to go to Berkeley. When I was younger, I felt that I took Berkeley a little for granted because it was so close but when I was researching bioengineering programs I saw how great the bioengineering program at Berkeley was,” she said.

Alburo explains that classes at Berkeley are harder than high school classes, but they have less synchronous class time. “Although the classes have less instruction time than classes in high school, they require more outside time to self-study,” said Alburo. 

Alburo lives in the dorms on campus. Even though the campus is close to her home in Castro Valley, it has still been an adjustment for her. 

“Living in the dorms also helps with the adjustment since you are surrounded by a lot of people who are in the same boat,” said Alburo. 

When living on campus, schools often have dining halls which are very helpful for students so they don’t have to worry about cooking their own meals.

As for college expenses, Alburo advises students to apply to as many scholarships as possible and take advantage of financial aid (FAFSA). 

“The Castro Valley Educational Foundation Scholarship Program offers a lot of scholarships for just CVHS students. Last year I was awarded the Charles Duerig Memorial Scholarship which helped me out a lot,” Alburo said.

CSU

CSUs are also a great option for education after high school. They are cheaper than UCs and private schools but still provide quality education. Josie de la Torre chose to go to Humboldt State (HSU) and really enjoys her time there. She felt drawn to HSU over other schools because of the beautiful environment, and how different it is from the Bay Area.

“​​I am enjoying college and taking my classes for my major. It was tough at first being away from home and being homesick in the dorms but eventually, it got better and I’m really enjoying the freedom of college,” said de la Torre. 

Due to Covid-19, all of de la Torre’s classes were online last semester, but she says that she enjoys them a lot more than the online classes in high school. Aside from just enjoying the classes more, de la Torre also finds the classes to be easier. In college, you also get a lot more say in what classes you take which adds to the overall experience of the classes.

“I felt like I have always been independent in a way but it’s really different when you are away from family and parents. Like you don’t have family close by to consult with or make decisions with. It’s a journey to be independent for the first time because you get to make choices without your parents’ supervision. Like either, you can do drugs and get high by putting yourself at risk or you can choose to do something else than that. And you also have to worry about finances, work, and having time for yourself with homework. It’s not as bad as I thought about being independent but it’s fun in a way.”

Community college

Community college is an option that is often seen as an easy way out, or a less academically challenging option. However, in reality, community colleges still offer quality education at a good price. After graduating high school, Ruby Yang chose to go to Chabot Community College. 

Community college is a good stepping stone into four-year colleges. It’s significantly cheaper and it makes getting into a four-year college easier. 

“It wasn’t hard to decide which school to go to, since Chabot is one of the closest options for community college. I didn’t really feel prepared for attending a UC or another larger school,” said Yang. 

Tuition at Chabot is $1,150 per year for in-state students, which makes it much more affordable than any four-year college. Just like other colleges, Chabot offers financial aid to help financially struggling students. On top of that Chabot is very close to Castro Valley, which means students can be closer to home and don’t have to spend more money on dorms or a food plan. 

Military 

In high school, Daniel Anilao was part of the explorer program with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and now after high school, he has gone to pursue work with the Marine Corps.

Anilao comes from a family of Navy workers employees, and is now the first in his family to be a Marine. 

“Everyone else went to the Navy so I’m actually the first Marine in my family,” he said.

Anilao decided to join the Marines because he wanted to do something different than the rest of his family, and wanted a change from what everyone else was doing. 

“As far as I am so far with the Marine Corps, I mostly like it. What makes it difficult like any other work environment is unit cohesion, working with other people, and dealing with belligerent peers,” said Anilao.

Going into any military branch is mentally and physically demanding, which is expected. One has to have a lot of self-discipline and stamina to make it in the military. 

“The hardest part was the threshold between going from civilian to recruit since there’s hesitation and the chance to back out before shipping out. Once you’re at the recruit depot, the choice isn’t so hard,” he said. 

As for education and tuition, there is no tuition for students in the military, it’s all provided. Students in the military do face strict rules at times such as strict no phone policies. Otherwise class is much like high school classes especially with the restrictions set on students.