Past, Present Future 082711

Susan Robles

Eng 101 Comp

Ms. G. Croker

August 27, 2011

PAST

My name is Susan Robles.  I was born and raised in Oxnard, California, except for the three (3) years that I attended school in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, when I was in high school.  I grew up as the eldest in my family which consisted of three (3) sisters and a brother, my dad and my mother, who passed away seven (7) years ago.  I also enjoyed the company of the family pet, which usually was either a poodle or a husky / German Shepard breed.  I have worked at St. John’s Hospital as a records clerk doing the birth certificates, which made my job fun and interesting. I have worked as the business manager of a television station that was based in Ventura for eleven (11) years.  When the television station moved to West Los Angeles I continued to work for them from home, which was a challenge, since I would go to the office once a week, and work via fax and phone from home.  After my mom passed away, I was blessed with a job where I began working with different attorneys interpreting and transcribing for them, which allowed me to be able to work at home and be available for my children when they were little.  Once my kids were a little older I decided it was time to get a real job where I could have benefits and retirement, since I was not getting any younger.  I would hear other people talk about retirement and I felt that it was my time to be serious about this subject.  So, I got a real job. 

PRESENT

I am married and I have two (2) children.  My husband is a building inspector for the City of Oxnard.  My son has just earned his AA at Ventura College and has moved to San Diego to continue his education.  My daughter is a freshman at Santa Clara High School and plays travel softball and also has made the varsity volleyball team at Santa Clara High.  I work at Channel Islands High School as one of the Administrative Site Secretaries and handle the Special Programs Budgets.  I also assist with the Master Schedule, as well as discipline and testing.  I really like working at the high school since it is in my community and I went there as a freshman.  There are a lot of alumni teachers, as well, and their spirit is contagious, which makes it a fun place to work.  The school district is very generous with the paid holidays, and we have breaks that we enjoy after a hard day’s work.  I now understand why we need those holidays, since working at the high school is very fast-paced and you need a mind-vacation here and there. There is a lot of traffic in our office with students, teachers, parents, and staff issues, which makes the day go by fast.  I also continue to work with different criminal defense attorneys and investigators as their interpreter and transcriber, on an as-needed basis. Each case, of course, is very unique and some times interesting. 

FUTURE

I have returned to school in order to continue with my education.  My goal is to become a high school counselor.  Hopefully, I can get a job at Channel Islands High School, where I was originally inspired.  I have interpreted for the counselors and have realized that this is something that I can see myself doing.  I realize that this is not all the counselors do, since I do witness their duties on a daily basis.  But, nonetheless, I feel I would be a good counselor.  I know the road ahead of me is long and hard, but I am willing to go the distance. 

Susan Robles