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Lilly Montes
Ms. Burnett
Senior Retrospective
Good morning everyone, for those of you that may not know me, my name is Lilly
Montes and Im here to talk to you all about my experience here at VISA. Its still a strange
feeling knowing that Im going to leave the school that has been my second home since I was in
first grade. Ive met incredible teachers and staff that care so much about the students, as well as
many people whom Ive made lasting friendships with over the years. Being a student here at
VISA has been stressful, yet I feel that these past years have greatly prepared me for the years to
come when I attend UC Davis in the fall. In my speech, I will talk about the artifacts that I have
completed these past four years and how it has shaped me to who I am today.
During my freshman year, one of the projects was from my Digital Literacy class was
when we did the ISS project, ISS stands for Internet Safety Share. During this project (go to ISS
Project), I worked with my group and we were to go out and present to 6th grade classrooms
about the responsible ways of being online. This project made me more college ready because I
learned more about how to work as a group. I was able to work collaboratively with people that I
wasnt necessarily that familiar with. I feel that before this project, I mostly chose to work
individually rather than in groups because I felt that I was able to work more effectively by
myself. After this project, I came to the realization that working in groups would only prove ten
times more effective rather than me having to stress out by myself. Another project that I did was
the Ecology project (go to Ecology Project) in my Biology class. In this project we were to take
an Ecological Footprint quiz that helped me calculate the estimated area of land and ocean
required to support my consumption of food, water, and waste. This project helped me become

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more of a global citizen because it has allowed me to be more considerate of my daily choices. I
became aware that my old habits were hurting the environment because I would use and excess
amount of water and other products. I now try my best to only use what I need.
During my sophomore year, one of the artifacts was when I did the VEI project for my
Environmental Science class. VEI stands for VISA Environmental Initiative, this is there I
worked with my class to come up with a project that would help our community and
environment. My class name was EL SOL and we focused on preserving electricity. (go to China
and VEI Project) This project helped me become more college ready by being able to practice
my public speaking skills. As a part of the project, we had an event after school and were to set
up a booth for our class. People came pouring in and came to our booth in order to learn about
what we were doing. So, I had to prepare ahead of time about what I had to say; I had to make
sure to be able to answer questions. Before, I would get really nervous and start to fidget when I
would have to talk to people that I dont know. But, this project helped me put myself more at
ease by putting me in a position where I couldnt avoid other people. This would help me when I
go to college because I will be expected to present in front of different sized crowds. Another
experience that I had was when I was a part of a group of 15 students who had the opportunity to
travel to China for ten days. (Go to China and VEI Project) While there I stayed with a Chinese
family and was able to discover Chinas most known landmarks. This experience helped me
become more of a global citizen because I was able to compare and contrast my daily life and
schedule with that of my host family that I stayed with. I was also able to communicate ideas
while I was there. Here at VISA, I didnt really use my Chinese besides in class and because of
that I felt that my Chinese wasnt as proficient that I had liked. But, when I used the little
Chinese that I learned with people that I had encountered with, they said that I was speaking

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relatively well. I had left them speechless because they didnt know that I could understand some
of what they were saying.
During my junior year, another challenge that I had done was when I took on my first
college class here at school. During my spring semester was when they first started to offer
classes from LA Mission College here for our students. I signed up for Intro to Sociology, where
we learned about understanding sociological perspective and how it could shape peoples live
and experiences. (Go to picture of syllabus for Sociology) Before, I was very hesitant at signing
up for a college class because I thought that I wouldnt be able to reach the high standards that
college requires from their students. But, while I took that class, I realized that I am able to this
helped me become more college ready because it helped me realize that it wasnt so bad and that
it ended up being an enjoyable experience. I was also able to see and experience first-hand how
my college classes would be like in the future. Another opportunity was when I decided to take
on a leadership role as one of the managers for our schools cheer team. As a manager I help plan
events, fundraisers & cheer events, prepare for competitions, take care of finances, and make
sure all necessary paperwork is in order. I feel that this task has allowed me to become more of a
global citizen because I was able to become a leader. I learned how to not be afraid of taking on
more leadership roles, like joining clubs like HEART, ASB, and the Student Advisory Council.
This experience has allowed me to grow as a leader because it has given me the confidence to
meet other people. I was able to escape from my comfort zone and realized that when I go to
college Im going to have to talk to other people, Im not always going to be with the same
people that Im used to.
This year, my senior year, I completed projects that helped me with my future. One of
them was when I did the college research over the summer for my English class. I had to choose

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three different colleges to learn more about their requirements and how it is like by taking virtual
tours. Before doing this project, I wasnt really aware of the different colleges, majors, and jobs
out there. I didnt really know where to go so I didnt show any interest of making any effort in
looking into colleges. I felt unprepared and I really had no intention of asking for any help. This
made me more college ready by preparing myself to be more aware of the different majors and
minors that pertained to my interests (foreign language, science, and maybe teaching). I felt that I
was able to narrow down my choices tremendously, which in turn gave me the confidence to be
able to make a decision when the time came. Another project that I completed was when I did the
Job Shadowing project that was also a part of my English class. In this project I was able to
spend a day with someone that has the position of my dream job, a physical therapist. (go to
College Research and Job Shadowing Project) This helped me become more of a global citizen
because I was able to see first-hand what my job would be like in the future. Before, I didnt
know how to get into the same position as a physical therapist. I felt that I would have to figure
out everything pretty much on my own. The physical therapist that I had Job shadowed was
really helpful and talked to me about how her life is helping people. I loved how during the time
I was with her; she had her patients still come in as if it were a regular day. She would explain to
me the different processes that she had done for each patient. I felt that this project was
resourceful because I felt more confident with myself with the decision of becoming a physical
therapist.
I would like to give advice to the students and staff. For the students, I would say to try to
join as many extracurricular activities as you can. Our school has so many opportunities to join a
club, sport, or even learn a new instrument. Try to put yourself out there to meet people and
become aware of a world that it so much different from what you are used to. I also

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recommend trying as many AP and college classes that you could. My biggest regret in high
school was not taking advantage of taking college courses. Since we are still in high school,
these classes are FREE for us. We could potentially save thousands of dollars as opposed to
paying for them when we go to college. Ive taken 15 units worth, but I wish that I would have
started as early as my freshman year. So please, take advantage of these opportunities because
they will help you immensely.
Now I have advice for the staff, I think the only advice I have for you is to try to offer
more opportunities for college classes on campus. So far the school offers three classes per
semester, which only offers spots to a limited amount of students. I feel that if the school opens
up more classes, that it would be extremely beneficial to the students. It will help the students
that are unable to find any means of transportation to the college campus for classes. Having the
classes here at school, would be helpful for them and for the students that are unable to be
enrolled due to filled up spaces.
Today, I spoke to you all about my experience here at VISA and I would like to say again
that I will miss my second home. Ive met so many great people here, some of which I just
started talking to this year. I hope that I still remain in contact with at least some of them when
we start school. I feel that although I was stressed out most of the time over my grades while I
was here, I now feel more prepared for my future when I start college in the fall. Thank you.