Menlo gives students the opportunity to keep themselves busy with a wide variety of academic, athletic and artistic opportunities. Some students, however, decide to add a little more to their plates by taking on an out-of-classroom pursuit where they can share their passion and skills with others — in other words, a job. From lifeguarding to teaching robotics, Menlo students engage in a diverse variety of trades.
Since October 2023, Junior Sofia Aguilar has splashed through her weekends working as a lifeguard at the Ladera Oaks Swim and Tennis Club. Though she enjoys lifeguarding, her initial interest in the job was due more to its accessibility. “I was 15, so there were not a lot of options for a job,” Aguilar said. She was able to become CPR-certified fairly easily, which made her a qualified candidate for any lifeguarding job.
Aguilar believes that her job has offered her a chance to develop valuable life skills while simultaneously doing something she loves. “[Lifeguarding requires taking on] a leadership role,” Aguilar said. “As a child, I would look up to lifeguards protecting the pool and I wanted to be a role model for other kids and keep them safe,” she said.
Like Aguilar, senior Marina Xanthopoulos also spends her free time helping out kids — this time in the form of teaching robotics to elementary school students. Xanthopoulos’ interest in robotics first sparked her freshman year, when she joined the Menlo Robotics Club and took a variety of Whitaker classes. “I’ve always loved [the] sciency aspects of [creating things],” Xanthopoulos said.
Xanthopoulos originally taught coding at elementary schools through the company Kodely, but decided to change course to start her own program, Robotix, at the Carey School. “Over the summer, I put together a bunch of lesson plans and I pitched it to my former elementary school and they loved it,” she said. Her hope is that her after-school lessons expose students to a high school robotics experience and get them excited for what they can do with robotics in the future. Her students are able to explore robots ranging from self-driving ones to robotic arms, and they also have the opportunity to create their own projects and compete against one another.
Xanthopoulos hopes to expand her program to middle schools and coach competitive teams at schools with less access to STEM classes to expose more kids to robotics. Currently however, she wants to focus on giving kids the best experience and having fun.“I’ve always loved working with kids,” she said. “I have three younger brothers, so I’m used to teaching kids how to do things.”
Amina Briones, who works at the San Jose amusement park Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, shares a love for being in an energetic environment with Xanthopoulos. Briones specifically works in the dining section, known as the “Picnic Basket.” She worked for two to three days per week in the summer, but has since transitioned to once a week for the school year. Initially, she applied to work there because she wanted an entry level position that could teach her skills for future job opportunities. “[I learned] all of these things I can use for other jobs like cashiering, storage, […] managing and other things for fast food jobs or jobs in general,” Briones said. Her other day-to-day responsibilities also include restocking food and keeping the Picnic Basket clean. Briones hopes that her job at Happy Hollow will be a good stepping stone for her future work life after she graduates from Menlo.
Working in a dynamic environment like the kitchen of fast food chain In-N-Out, senior Arianne Avila never has a dull moment. Avila was 15 when she applied for the job and started working soon after. “They offered me the job on the spot, and I really liked the people there, so that’s why I stayed,” Avila, now 17, said.
In the summer, she works for eight hours a day, five days a week, but she takes on fewer hours during the school year. In-N-Out employees are placed in a ranking system that goes up to rank eight, with each rank involving different responsibilities. Avila is currently at a level four, which puts her in charge of fries and produce as well as taking orders both inside and out front. She shared that she is excited to move up the ranks to learn new responsibilities. “Next, I’m probably going to learn how to ‘board,’ which is dressing the burgers,” Avila said. “After that is ‘grill,’ which is cooking burgers and prepping buns.”
