As the newest addition to the SCHS office staff, attendance clerk Yvette Avila looks forward to being a part of the school community through being a supportive figure on campus.
Avila has been working at SCUSD for two years starting at Millikin Elementary School’s health office. She later worked as an attendance clerk at Buchser Middle School and then as a clerical assistant at Agnew Elementary School.
“I love doing a lot of different things,” Avila said. “I don’t like to stay in the same school or position for long periods of time. I like the challenge. I like to learn.”
Prior to working at SCUSD, Avila worked as a dental assistant and earned two associates degrees from Foothill College in 2020. She found that her experience in dental assisting gave her skills in reception and secretary work, and working in attendance at schools has allowed her to use her skills while growing in new environments.
“It’s always fun to do something new, especially if you get bored easily like me,” Avila said. “It’s good to have something to fall back on. Explore your options. If you like doing multiple things, go get a little taste of everything.”
Having been born in L.A., Avila’s family moved frequently. She lived in the Bay Area starting in elementary school, having attended Cabrillo Middle School, Wilcox High School and later Wilson High School, where she participated in the SVCTE program and began dental assisting. As a former SCUSD student, Avila is empathetic to many experiences students might face and hopes to be a supportive figure.
“I can connect to these students a lot more. I think in high school, it’s a really hard time for a lot of kids, but I think the main thing is just keep going,” Avila said. “Kids should feel free to come talk to me about whatever. I can probably relate to a lot of their situations.”
Avila wants students at SCHS to succeed as she believes their school expectations can set them up for success in the real world.
“School is like a foundation of what you’re going to be as an adult,” Avila said. “So if you set expectations, like ‘I’m going to be on time, I’m going to come to all my classes, I’m going to do all my homework,’ that’ll set you up for when you’re working in the real world.”