Knowing what to do after high school can be hard, especially if you don’t have a plan, but sometimes a little support can make a big difference.

Counselor Sandra Echevarria was born in Michoacan, Mexico, and from a young age moved back and forth between southern California and Mexico until eventually her family made their way up into Salinas. “We traveled a few times between the ages of 4-6 years,” Echevarria said. “I was very young so it really did affect me much,  I just thought it was something families did. I vaguely remember having a difficult time when I started 1st grade at a new school but the kids were very nice and I was able to transition quickly. My parents often traveled due to work.  So every time we would return to the USA, we would end up in a different city. I was about 7 or 8 years old when our permanent stay in Salinas began,” she said.

Moving from Mexico wasn’t easy for Echevarria, especially when it came to learning English. “It was either sink or swim, you either learn it or you don’t,” Echevarria said. 

By the second grade, Echevarria was more comfortable in learning and understanding English, “There was a pull out system, so for one hour a day I would be put into a classroom where I would focus on learning English,” she said. 

She originally went to Salinas High up to her junior year, then made the decision to move to Alisal her senior year when her family moved to the east side of town. 

“It was difficult, I mean I definitely had in my mind that I was going to graduate from Salinas High School, so it was tough,” she said. “It wasn’t that Alisal was not a good school, it was just that all my friendships were at Salinas High at the time.” 

Echevarria and her family moved walking distance from Alisal, which made things all much easier. “Ironically, it was a bit of a culture shock because the percentage of Latinos was a lot higher than Salinas High, so when I came here there were a lot of things that Alisal did that Salinas didn’t so it was that whole acknowledgement of heritage,” she said.

“At Salinas High I did a variety of clubs and after school classes,” she said. “Once I came to Alisal High, since I would leave during lunch to ROP, I didn’t get involved in any extracurricular activities.”

 After graduating from Alisal in 1994, Echevarria went to UC Santa Cruz to follow in her sister’s footsteps and initially started in a science major in biology, but she changed it. “With a science major you have to put in a lot of time and effort, and at that point I was like do I really want to do this,” she said. 

She then took psychology, “I was hired by the psychology department, so I started doing some psychology classes which further drew my interest into teaching,” she said.

During her third year in college, she was recruited through a program called MiniCorps where she would work with elementary kids as a tutor. Transitioning into her 4th year, she moved up helping kids in the high school level. “I was a tutor for high school students, right out of college. I got my BA, and I was recruited to work as a tutor right out of college,” she said. “I worked as a tutor while attending college with MiniCorps. Once I graduated I was hired as a Migrant Teacher and worked at Watsonville High School for two years.  I was recommended to apply for a Migrant position for Salinas High School.  I interviewed for the position and was hired to work at SHS. Things changed last minute and I ended up at Alisal High School and I have been here since then.” 

Echevarria found an opportunity to come back to Alisal after a friend gave her an opportunity to help students. “My friend said, ‘Hey, I know you live in Salinas, they’re looking for somebody I’m going to recommend you,’” she said. 

She has seen some changes over time. ”There are more opportunities there are for students than there were back then,” she said. “Now there are more academic opportunities related to AP’s and Academic Programs. If I remember correctly, AHS did not offer AVID or Health Academy or Engineering.  Now offer those programs and many more AP classes.” 

As a counselor, Echevarria has a vision in mind for all students and that is having a goal, a plan set in mind that can help students reach their fullest potential in life after high school. That’s the biggest thing for Echevarria, making sure students are set in mind a plan and doing her best to set up students and get them towards that goal. “To have a plan, for students to know what they’re going to do after school whether it’s continuing their education at university, community college, or even tradeschool,” she said.

Alisal has been home to Echevarria for 25 years and counting with the moral support of students has been through the years. She takes pride in helping students achieve their ultimate goal in life. “The Eastside has always had that culture that still resides today, and that’s one thing that hasn’t changed even till today,” she said. 

She hopes to continue helping students find a path after school, and is proud of the culture and the success the school has had since she started here. Alisal has provided her a home and a place she couldn’t be happier with. Echevarria, like many of her co-workers, plans to retire here, “Why do you think previous alums come back to Alisal to teach or educate here?” she said. “Because of the students. I think we have amazing students. That is why I am still here.”