My name is Julissa Mendoza. I am a senior at Saddleback High School and want to pursue a career in Business Administration. The reason for pursuing Business came from an entrepreneur course that I took in the past that motivated me and gave me the confidence to start a business of my own. In college, I plan to pursue a similar entrepreneurship major to further evolve my studies.

       Over the past month, AISS has guided me through the college application process and looking for scholarships. They have also helped me prepare for the SAT, gifting us with SAT Prep books and allowing us time to study. Overall, they have helped develop my communication skills. Presentations and public speaking are something that I struggled with in the past. Now, I feel empowered to give a speech about something I care about or find interesting.

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       My name is Lizeth Mendoza, and I am someone who has always planned to give back to my community. Four years ago, I was also a high school senior who struggled to complete college applications and give presentations to strangers. After graduating from Saddleback High School and AISS Class of 2019, I have blossomed into the outgoing person I am today. A fun fact about me is that I am currently the President of my own university club called Grupo Folklorico Mexica where I express my love for my beautiful culture as an indigenous Zapotec descendant. I also work as an orientation leader at my university providing school tours to new students.

       While in the program, AISS has helped my skills in networking, professionalism, and organization. Networking has never felt so natural to me as it does now, and I never imagined that I would enjoy public speaking as much as I do today.

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       Hi, I'm Frank Cabada, a software engineer at Google, here at the Irvine office. I studied at Columbia University, and graduated in 2017, with a bachelor’s in computer science. Before that, I graduated from Godinez High School here in the Santa Ana District and was part of AISS Class of 2013.

       I met with the scholars recently to share some information about myself and my experiences working at Google. I focused on my time at Columbia University and the application process. We talked about my 4 years there, the challenges I faced while I was there, and how I overcame those obstacles. Whether they were academic struggles, or just being far from home, the scholars really drove the discussion and received it well.

       When I was in AISS, one of the main things that stood out to me was the type of help that we received.  It wasn't so much "let's do this for you", but more so "how can we equip you with the tools so you can figure things out for yourself."

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