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During January and February, AISS Scholars attended biweekly Saturday classes hosted at Chapman University and the Delhi Center. With scholars completing all their college applications, the focus of AISS has shifted to providing scholars with the necessary knowledge to transition from high school to college successfully.

On January 14, 2023, the scholars listened to Mr. London Monty, who has continuously supported the AISS scholars by presenting multiple times within the past few years. Mr. Monty spoke about “Leading Projects and Putting Yourself Out There,” so scholars could understand the importance of communicating their values and experiences through the acronym “STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Results.”

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Team 1- Masterminds

AISS Class of 2023, Segerstrom High School

Future Engineer

Hello! I am Matias Tomazin and I am a senior at Segerstrom High School. It is a busy time for us Seniors! I will tell you what I have learned and experienced during this semester so far! To start, we had a couple of visits from the U.S. Bank which were pretty exciting. First, during the parent meeting, which I attended with my mom, and a second time during our meeting at the Delhi Center recently on February 11th.

We were able to ask questions and get answers to things that sometimes we don’t completely understand, and they were kind enough to help us with a detailed explanation. Some of the questions I remember being asked were if buying a house with a credit card be a good idea?

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Higher Education Counselor

at Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology High School

M.A.Ed. in School Counseling and Higher Education

from the University of Redlands

BA in Sociology & a minor in Education

from the University of California Los Angeles

AISS Class of 2007, Century High School

My name is Nada Soeun and I have had the pleasure of working with AISS, its many supporters, and scholars for the past 16 years. I have taken on many roles, from being an administrative assistant, instructor, academic advisor, program associate and now, volunteer.

AISS undeniably played a pivotal role in my pursuit of becoming a school counselor. I found joy in working alongside so many cohorts of scholars in this amazing organization. There is something about guiding students towards their goals and seeing it manifest, that makes my heart smile.

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AISS Board Secretary

Senior Technical Writer at Boston Scientific

BA in English Rhetoric & Composition

from California State University Long Beach

It was early 2014 when I first met AISS Executive Director, Debbie Wells. Until then, my story was all too familiar among economically disadvantaged, first generation, college graduates. I graduated and needed work. However, working in my field of study required experience in that field, of which I had none. I knew close to zero professionals.

I eventually landed a job that wasn’t related to my field of study. I began working excessive hours at close to minimum wage. I decided to save enough money to afford an unpaid internship and get the experience I needed. I started volunteering at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana, and not long after was introduced to Debbie. She became a mentor to me.

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