SANTA ANA UNIFIED SUPERINTENDENT DR. STEFANIE PHILLIPS SPEAKS TO SANTA ANA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DREAMING ‘BIG’ AND SETTING GOALS
Dr. Stefanie Phillips, Superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District, spoke to Santa Ana Valley High School students on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 about her journey to the Superintendent’s office as part of a guest speaker series focusing on college and career readiness.
About 90 students from the school’s Global Business Academy and English classes attended the gathering, which was held in the campus library.
Phillips began her presentation by saying that Martin Luther King Jr., whose holiday SAUSD students observed the previous day, had a dream. And that like King, students should allow themselves to “dream, and dream big.”
The Superintendent then spoke about her own life journey, and told students that while she initially enjoyed a successful career in finance, she longed to more fully give back to the community. Her drive to help others prompted her to start a new career in education, which ultimately led her to SAUSD. “Sometimes you have to rethink your dream,” she told the crowd. “I’m here and I love it.”
After the talk, Phillips fielded questions from students on issues ranging from how to overcome adversity to how to deal with peer pressure when trying to set life goals.
Valley student Hailey Munoz said the Superintendent’s remarks were “very inspirational” because they showed her that “there is always time to start over or learn new things.”
Her classmate Carolyn Henderson, an aspiring entrepreneur, also said the talk was useful because it helped her see that she has tools and programs at her disposal on campus that can help her reach her goals. “I learned that you have to use what you have to get to where you want to go,” she said.