I interviewed one of my mentors named Miriam Atlas and asked her 4 questions.
1. Why did you choose to work at the San Diego Unified School District?
She said that she was first worked at a high school for 5 years, then was offered an opportunity to work with more than one high school. This way she would get to affect more students, and change things at a district level.
2. What is the main purpose of the Office of Language Acquisition?
She explained to me that the office supports English Learners throughout a large urban school district. They provide training and support for teachers who work with English Learners. Another thing they do is work with schools to provide programs for these types of students.
3. Is a career in this field satisfying?
There's many ways that she gets satisfaction from her job. It's satisfying to her because she gets to coach teachers so that later on teachers and students can feel and be more successful. She works with high schools to create programs for these students that were invisible. Helping these English Learners needs become important and known.
4. Is there any advice that you have for me about the world of work?
She told me to have lots of different experiences, and that it was okay not to know what you want to be at this age. Try out different types of work, and don't rush into one career. It's okay to be interested in a career, but take all the opportunities that come your way so that you can see everything that's out there. Most importantly I have lots of time to decide what career I want to pursue.