By Jesus Gastelum

To go from a high school environment into a university environment is a life-altering transition. While high school and university have similarities, they have even more differences.

High school is a stricter, more structured environment where students are constantly supervised by teachers, as opposed to a university where students have more freedom and whose teachers do not constantly monitor their every movement. In high school, students are reminded of missing work and are kept on track by their teachers; however, at a university, students are given assignments and completion dates to keep track of themselves.

The change from a high school to a university offers more freedoms, but it also requires greater responsibility. I think that this will be a difficult transition and it will take sometime to become accustomed. First, I have to learn to not to procrastinate and ask for help when I need it. Since classes at a university consist of more students, the professors are not able to spend as much one on time with very student to talk about their progress in the class. I need to start developing a better habit as to how I approach my assignments. I need to allow myself more time to work on projects so I can produce better quality work. The other thing that concerns me is that I’m not very good at asking for help. I have become so used being asked if I need help by the teachers in high school that I fear that if I don’t learn to speak up and ask for help on my own, I will not do well in my college classes.

I have been out of school for almost two years now but as May gets under way I still get an itch for summer break. There are numerous drivers, including the heat, the lives of my friends still in academia; even the aesthetic sensation of simply wearing shorts a t-shirt and flip-flops. However, there is one aspect of summer that trumps them all…

It’s the longer days! Once sunset creeps past seven o’clock everyday has a recreational feel to it. I can work until six and still climb camelback, leave at 6:45 and still make happy hour golf! I’m not eating until 8:30 or 9 at night; making me nostalgic for the days my dad would have to whistle me home for dinner with the sun still up and my afternoon adventures far from over.

I salute you, long days, as my favorite part of May and until it gets unbearably hot you make summers in the valley down right pleasant.

Whenever my family, friends, and even some teachers ask me, “What am ‘I going to do after high school?” I confidently tell them that I’m going to be continuing my studies at Gateway Community College to become a Registered Nurse.

They tell me if I need anything on my way to becoming a Registered Nurse to let them know, so they can find a way to take time to help me out with any difficult courses that come across my path to my dreams. But the big question everyone asks me is:

“How am I going to pay for attending Gateway Community College?”

I tell them that I have to see if I was approved by FASFA so I can receive financial assistance to pay for my classes here at Gateway Community College.

My interest in nursing has developed from seeing my loved ones suffer with medical ailments. Ever since I my family found out that my aunt Rosemary was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, I always wanted to help her with anything she could not do because she was weak. I would help her comb her hair, get dressed, walk around the house, and put her slippers on. When she would end up in the hospital, I would see the way the nurses helped her and I wished that I could be the in her hospital room taking her vital signs, bathing her, and feeding her instead. I would watch the birthing channel to see how the nurses interacted with their patients and I noticed that some nurses were nice and others were mean. When I told my mom that I wanted to become a Registered Nurse, she always told me to be nice to all my patients - even if some are mad because they have to be in the hospital. Because if nurses are not nice, patients will be scared to ask for anything that they need and may even try to fight against checking their vital signs.

Finally, I had the chance to meet a Registered Nurse - Cookie Frampton - on April 18th, 2008. She was a kind lady who told me that nursing is a hard job that requires nurses to be on their feet and to work quickly. Also to work at a hospital, nurses can not be shy with the staff and patients. The interview was great; she said, “Love what you do because if you do not love what you do others will notice around you.” The best advice she told me was never give up ask for help even if you think that you can not go on any more. So I want to become Registered Nurse because I love to work with others and I want to put a smile on someone’s face every day.

By Athena Badillo

When I first started high school, I wasn’t interested at all in attending college, the reason being that I was so in love with music and that was the only thing I cared about. Choir was a huge part of my life and I put it before school. I didn’t need a degree for a music career. But my thoughts would go up and down between music, becoming a nurse or a lawyer. I do believe that if I would’ve stayed at Tolleson High School I wouldn’t be attending NAU in the fall because I refused to take a foreign language, which is required for admission to a university. Even though I am studying nursing right now and plan to pursue a bachelors of science, I would also like to major in music production because music is my passion and it will always be with me.

In the beginning, I did not want to do the interview and was not happy at all that it became a requirement. After thinking about it, I thought maybe it would be interesting for my classmates to see an interview with an underground hip-hop artist. Then I started to flip-flop between interviewing a rapper or interviewing someone in the medical field since that is what I’m studying. I was really interested in interviewing Perv, a rapper with Swagga House Records, since he has already had a song on the radio called, “Lollipop Girl” and another single “Finally Made It.” At first I was nervous to ask him if I could interview him because I had no idea what he would say. He gave me a simple yet exciting answer of, “Most definitely!” which thrilled me and it’s an honor to interview an artist like him.

By Jenny Herrera

Making a video interview was looking pretty difficult for me. I wanted to do something interesting, so I focused in the journalism field. My first thought,… Who will I talk too? Then I remembered, Patricia Batres, the reporter/anchor from Telemundo 39. I met her at an ALMA (Arizona Latino Media Association) workshop at Arizona State University. I was unsure of how to contact her, and then it hit me. Silly but true, myspace! I thought to myself, who doesn’t have a myspace now in days. I researched Google and the first thing I saw was her myspace link. I messaged her right away. The next day she agreed to help me.

At first I thought I would be nervous, but I wasn’t. I knew exactly what I wanted to ask her. When I arrived, she was extremely polite to me. I was so excited to see what was to come. I was shown to the studio; it was not to big, very interesting. There were cameras everywhere and cables and televisions! I was so excited! I knew I had to do something quickly because she had told me she had a tight schedule that Thursday. I hurried and began taping her and asking her questions about her career. She explained a little about what she did and how she loves her job as a reporter. Patricia was very busy so we had to leave as soon as we finished the interview. It was an interesting morning.

By Daniel Zapata

It’s getting closer to the end of my high school years and yet, I am still undecided about my career plan. For years, I have compared being a helicopter pilot and a computer systems analyst, weighing the pros and cons of each career choice. In the end, I always conclude that being a helicopter pilot would be an experience I am passionate about. It will be an exciting and thrilling part of my life that will keep me intrigued with my career choice. As for being a computer systems analyst, it seems as though I was destined to work with computers. It was something I was always adept at, even at a young age. I was always told by most people that working in the computer field would be something great for me. While it would be great, I might not be passionate about it.

When Brett and Zack came to our class one day, Zack asked me what career I was going into. My unconscious reaction was “helicopter pilot.” The famous quote and cliché of “do what makes you happy,” must be somewhat true. In a way, Zack has helped me resolve my career choice dilemma just by asking that simple question. I look forward to that career path and I’m glad this decision occurred. It truly is the end of our high school years but also, a new chapter to our lives.

By Jules Christian Ko

In a perfect world, there are only two sides to every issue; however, in reality, there are numerous sides to every issue.

At some point we may have been faced with a choice of pursuing a career that would fill our bank accounts or fulfill our personal satisfaction. I want a career with a decent salary, but also something that will not bore me to death. I do not want to be a part of the statistics that say most Americans are not satisfied with their careers.

For me to be dragging myself to a job I don’t even like in the first place is just plain ridiculous. I don’t think that one is more important than the other. It is important to have a career that I like, but also something that has a decent salary for my family. I have always been passionate about pursuing a field in medicine and by doing research I had a number of options to consider, options that would give me a personal satisfaction and challenges every day.

I have decided to become an Anesthesiologist. The job overview and daily tasks satisfies my passion for medicine and the opportunity to work private practice. Also, it is a field where I can interact with diverse people on a daily basis as well as make a difference in their lives or their loved ones.

Economic security is also an issue when it comes to choosing a career. Based on my research, I found that Anesthesiologists make more than $300,000 a year. This would be a dream job for me since private practice would give me the flexibility to make my own schedule so I can spend time with my family. By knowing what I really love, I have found the perfect career that would give me the best of both worlds.

By Jessica Collay

When I started high school, I hoped I would get back on track to being normal again. Almost all of the odds were stacked against me - at least that was how I saw it. I was barely learning how to walk again, as far as I can remember, and I was struggling through the pain of waking up every day and getting out of bed. Those times were rough, but I just wanted to be normal. I wanted to follow the plans that I’d laid out for myself my entire life up until then – I had to graduate by 16 and at that rate it wasn’t going to happen.

Much of the time since I turned 13 was hazy. I remember waking up with this pain in my head, something unlike I’d never felt before, and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t touch anything, because that would hurt, and I couldn’t concentrate. That lasted for three months straight and I realized that my attendance at school that used to be stellar was beginning to suffer along with my formerly excellent grades. Next thing I knew I couldn’t walk. My world seemed to be crumbling around me.

I convinced myself that I would graduate from high school with the same amount of force I used to graduate the eighth grade. I was going to learn and work through the pain; I was going to push myself. The harder I pushed myself though, the more I suffered physically. I was stuck in bed for so many days, lonely and in pain, and on top of that with no diagnosis. I felt that the world was passing me by and my life was completely taken away from me. Trying to feed my mind on my own was useless; most days I was in too much pain to pick up a book. All I could do was think about where my life was going. I had to handle things the way they were, and not try to force myself into a life that wasn’t supposed to be mine.

All those days alone taught me a lot. I’d gained a patience I may have never known otherwise, and I enjoy things much more simply. I’ve gained a sense of self and a sense of destiny that I may not have had I gone down my planned path. My original plan was one that was too rushed and I feel like I forced too much out of myself. My goals back then were to please other people and to show off how smart I was, how much I could do with my abilities. Now, since I’ve been greatly humbled by my experiences to say the least, I’m someone who wants to use my talents to help others rather than to compete. It’s more important to me to move a lot more slowly and methodically, and I don’t want others to deter me from my goals, no matter how humble or grand they may be.

By Adriana Ortiz

What is better than doing something you love and enjoy for the rest of your life, a career that brings out the best in you and will let you demonstrate your best qualities and skills?

Finding graduation day just a few weeks away, I initiated my search of different careers that might interest me: interior designing and accounting. Peculiarly, these two careers are totally different. I love interacting with diverse individuals who can offer advice and critique my work with suggestions to improve it. Being creative and achieving a unique and fantastic final piece of work is also enjoyable.

In interior designing I found an interest because there is an opportunity to meet many people and use creativity in order to improve someone’s room or home. I also enjoy math; I believe I am a good mathematician. I enjoy the challenge and having the task of solving long problems because it’s all a process that needs to be followed. At the end knowing that I was able to solve the problem is very rewarding. Solving problems and being analytical is what piqued my interest into accounting. Researching in depth, I concluded that I would take a shot at accounting. I know that this is something I will enjoy doing for the next 10 years because there are people from all around the world who are involved in the business field and I will have the opportunity to meet some day. Accounting compliments my personality and fulfills my expectations and I know that I will be able to demonstrate my interpersonal and math skills in this awesome job.

By Nallely Moran

According to the survey by CareerBuilder.com, more than four out of five Americans are not happy with their jobs. I do not want to be one of the unhappy statistics because it is a waste of money and time to pay for a career that will not satisfy me. Those who just work for the money will someday wake up in the morning realizing their mistake and will want to get out of the job sooner or later.

Why make life so boring when you can pursue a career that you feel passion for? Even though I am still not 100 percent sure what career exactly to follow, hopefully the class of Capstone Portfolio will help me; this class requires me to conduct interviews, job shadows, volunteer hours, and so on. This way I will at least research and understand my goals more clearly. My graduation is getting closer and school is even more difficult, but above all, I am so happy to graduate! I am scared of what will come after I enter the real world and learn to be independent. Meanwhile, no matter what, I will go for something that I will like even though at the beginning I won’t make enough money, but later my skills will improve and I will reach for a higher position and make more money doing what I love.