Jacob Velasquez is a Dos Pueblos High School alumni and has been the Varsity Defensive Line Coach for five years. He took on the position of Campus Security Assistant earlier this month. Velasquez shared that his dual position on campus gives him a different perspective on how to interact with students.
“I’m used to being stern, but I can also sympathize,” Velasquez said. “[Being a CSA] has taught me a balance on how to deal with kids and not always be strict and hard on them because that doesn’t always work.”
His primary role as a CSA involves steering students to class and making sure they don’t engage in misconduct around campus. Velasquez said the toughest part of this job is facing “defiant kids.” He said that talking with students and keeping an eye on them is an important factor in keeping them out of trouble in the future.
“I let them know that it’s not always gonna be their way, and, one day, there will be consequences for their actions,” Velasquez said.
Velasquez’s favorite thing about DPHS is seeing his current players as well as former teachers and coaches. He shared that his favorite memory at DPHS was when football advanced to the playoffs earlier this year. He added that the experience was “pretty fun” and that there are other goals he hopes to achieve in both of his campus roles.
“My hopes and goals while being a CSA is just to have a pretty smooth year, and for football, my hope is that we become a more successful program and be consistent,” Velasquez said.
Velasquez has ways that students can make his job and everybody’s time on campus easier.
“Stay in class, don’t vape, and don’t cause ruckus on campus,” Velasquez said. “Just don’t be loud and cause problems.”
Olivia Ortiz has been working as a DPHS CSA for five years. She said there is a certain level of unpredictability involved in her job.
“One day could be completely normal, and then, the second day could be a fight breaking out,” Ortiz said. “It’s never set in stone what I’m going to do, and that’s what I love about my job.”
Ortiz graduated from California State University Channel Islands in 2019 with a degree in Sociology. Afterwards, she worked at Jiffy Lube in Goleta before applying for her current position at DPHS.
“It was definitely a completely different shift from working on cars to now helping people out,” Ortiz said. “But my end goal was always working with students and being out in the community in some type of way.”
During her first few years at DPHS, the school transitioned from virtual to in-person learning.
“I actually started during COVID, and we were doing everything through zoom,” Ortiz said. “It was definitely a big change … we rode through, and now I’m here five years later.”
At school, it’s common to see Ortiz rapidly walking towards her next destination. She added that her job is “very active.”
“The number one question I get asked here, ‘How many steps do you get?’” Ortiz said. “When I first started off, I was getting 22,000 steps.”
Outside of school, she continues to stay active, engaging in activities such as biking, hiking, running, and photography.
“I’m training for half marathons,” Ortiz said. “I’ve actually talked to [Cross Country coach] David Jackson a little bit … and he’s just been super helpful, super supportive; the running community in general is super nice.”
Ortiz said that the communication between staff members is one of her favorite aspects of the DPHS community.
“We’re all very communicative, and that has helped make my job a lot easier,” Ortiz said. “The relationship that I’ve established with many of the students is top tier.”
In the future, Ortiz would like to continue making an impact in the community through another role.
“In the five years that I have been here, I’ve learned so much,” Ortiz said. “There’s always going to be room to grow, but I think I have exceeded my role here, and I see myself doing something else, whether that be at the district or on a large scale with a multitude of students.”
