This month we are again featuring an interview rather than our typical blog post. See the interview with Bonanza High School GEAR UP Specialist, Vannessa Apo below.
If you were given an unlimited budget and resources, what GU service or project would you plan for students and why?
I would plan a true youth apprenticeship/internship project where students could start working in career fields early on in high school to gain exposure to various options after high school. I believe that exposure to possible career paths and available options after high school is so important for students. Many times we are only exposed, or know about the careers and post high school options that someone around us has done or is currently doing. By providing real, hands-on experience and exposure, students would have the possibility to explore new career fields and opportunities.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
I think I would have a dinner party and include: Harriet Tubman, Walt Disney, Stan Lee, Nellie Bly, Eleanor Roosevelt and Socrates to name a few. I would choose these individuals has they all have left amazing legacies and lead such accomplished lives. While some brought awareness and ever lasting change through courage, strength, advocacy and determination, others brought about innovation and delved deep into the imagination of the possible.
What is the most common piece of advice you give your GEAR UP students as they are thinking about their future?
Work backwards and focus on your passion. Oftentimes the path is the goal without taking into consideration the destination. It is important to know what one hopes to do and/or become and what is needed to get there before the path is set.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled to? Why did you choose to go there and what made it so interesting?
At this point in my life I would say it was the Winchester House in San Francisco. The history and story of Sarah Winchester and her family home is so fascinating and seeing it was even more so. One can definitely feel the eeriness of the home and see the results of her guilt and possible madness in the design.
If you could live in any time period, past or future, which one would you choose and why?
Many time periods fascinate me and seem like they would be fun experiences to be a part of. I would love to visit certain periods such as, Victorian, Renaissance, Wild West, 1950’s and 1970’s, but I would never want to commit to living during one. I do believe that I am pretty content in the time period I live now. While it is not perfect by any means I appreciate the strides we have made in technology making life more enjoyable and safer, as well as the innovations in entertainment and travel.
Give us a fun fact about Vannessa!
I did not finish my bachelor’s degree until I was 37, then earned my masters a few later, and I have been an active student at 5 different colleges. I became passionate about counseling students about post high school life due to my life experiences.
