Latest / The Recess-An Inside Look at the Auburn School District / Episode #10: DJ Eastlick, West Auburn High School Graduate

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Episode #10: DJ Eastlick, West Auburn High School Graduate · The Recess-An Inside Look at the Auburn School District

• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the Recess Podcast.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Dr.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Alan Spicciotti, the proud superintendent of the Auburn School District, here to tell you the stories of the people and programs that make Auburn such a special place.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Today I am very excited for the first time we have a student, or at least a recent student, a graduate of the Auburn School District, and you'll get to meet her in a moment.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: But some of our most incredible stories are uh come from our kids.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: And even if you know some kids, uh I'll bet you haven't heard some of the things you're going to hear uh over the course of the podcast as we get more students involved.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Today's student is going to really shed a light on West Auburn High School and uh share her experience and some of the things that really clicked there for her.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: She was also on my student advisory, and I'm going to ask her to expand upon that a little bit as well so you get a picture into both of those things, as well as meeting an amazing young lady who uh I think is gonna do great things in life.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: And let's welcome her now.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh DJ Eastlick.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_03: Hello, thank you.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_03: Very glad to be here.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's great having you here.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I I introduced you as a graduate, and uh tell the audience when you graduated.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um I graduated, I think my last day was November 4th or 5th, to be exact.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Which is uh uh uh one of the things we'll get into about West Auburn is it's very uh much tailored to the needs of students, and you see students graduate throughout the year.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: So a very recent graduate of the Auburn School District, and uh I'm just thrilled you're here today.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna start you out with the first question that I ask all of my guests, and uh I love to hear the answer.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us about your favorite teacher.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um I'm very indecisive, so having one favorite is difficult.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um I'd have to say Miss Stenson from uh Auburn Mountain View.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um she was my English teacher in ninth grade, and Mr.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: Foster was a teacher of mine for just about everything at West Auburn for both years I was there.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: And you want to just share uh a story or w what was it about these two that stood out to you?
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_03: Miss Stenson, um she's one of my favorites just because of how mom-like she was and how strongly I connected with her.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: She cared not only about um my academic success, but like me as a mom.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um she was very invested in like uh giving me mom advice and making sure me and CJ were doing okay and through COVID and relationship stuff and family stuff.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: She was just very supportive.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I really appreciated her for that.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_03: And Mr.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: Foster, um he is kind of the person who showed me uh what all I was capable of.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_03: He pushed me to try new things and um was the one who got me into ASB and becoming class president and whatnot.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_03: And um I greatly appreciate him for that.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Those are two really cool answers.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: And we work really hard on you know connecting with students, having really positive relationships, which it sounds like you definitely had uh in ninth grade, and then uh also our our vision is to help students be able to choose their future.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so it sounds like Mr.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Foster was helping you learn about yourself and um you know getting you ready for the world.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: That's super cool.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh well, great answer.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: We're off to a good start already.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so how long did you spend at West Auburn?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: And just tell us about why West Auburn?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: What was a good fit for you?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I was at West Auburn from I think I started at West Auburn in February of 2022, I believe.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_03: 2021 or 2022, and graduated November.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_03: So I think I was there for about two years.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um I was not excited about starting at West.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_03: The situation that brought me to West Auburn um was was not what I had in mind.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_03: I was very happy at um Mountain View.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_03: I thought that that was my place.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I was struggling a lot.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_03: My schoolwork wasn't getting done.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_03: I wasn't really getting the support that I needed at home or academically.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um but I didn't want to leave my friends.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: So it was it was really hard when my mom and teachers kind of pushed me to do that.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: But um everyone was trying to talk me into online programs, and that's not something I was comfortable with.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't do well during COVID.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_03: I fell behind a lot.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, computers just don't really work for me, so I was getting really nervous that like this that was gonna be the end of my like academic career.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_03: And I had a teacher, uh, Miss Stenson and my science teacher, Miss Mayfield, both suggested West Auburn and um that a lot of people look down on it, but it's a really great school for students like me.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_03: And I knew that I wasn't a bad kid, so like I maybe I should give it a shot.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: So I talked my mom into it.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_03: She dropped the online school idea and we went for the tour.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_03: One of my middle school best friends went there, so you know that got me kind of excited about going.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: And my first week there, I um met some of my best friends to this day, my current boyfriend.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it was it was just a really great experience um starting off.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_03: They were very welcoming.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I still was kind of rough around the edges, didn't really want to accept, you know, the new environment and change.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_03: But um after I finished my first year there, um, coming back for my second year, which would have been junior year, uh Mr.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: Foster really pushed me to make some changes.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um, he saw me and what I could do the year before, and like how creative I was and how strong of a leader I was.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: So he told me I should um run for class president, and that's what I did, and I ended up winning um both first and second semester.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I ended up being really good at like planning events for our school and activities and decorating for things.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I discovered that there's not a single thing on this planet that I can't make out of construction paper.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um it was it was really cool to just like I could it was like an out-of-body experience watching myself blossom like that and seeing and learning what I could do.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um so it took a while for me to accept that, but once I did, um I give Mr.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_03: Foster and the teachers at West all the credit for that and who I am now.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's great.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I had a really powerful experience at at West Auburn that you were a part of uh not long before you graduated, uh, which was we had a principal retire, and we built into our high school principal hiring a level of interviews with students, and those have been just incredibly revealing, and and uh I'm really thankful for the students who participate.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know how to say this um because it's not a knock on other schools that we've had students engaged, but the students at West Auburn, it was just different.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: They were passionate about their school, and so we had a big group, I think there were like nine students, and usually it's you know, 15 or 20 minutes debriefing, what are the pros and cons of the candidate, uh, any red flags, that kind of a thing.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: But this was different because it really turned into an expression of pride in West Auburn and a really fierce desire to protect what's special about the school and make sure that people understood what West Auburn was really about.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: Could you talk about West Auburn and what you want people to know is at the heart of the school?
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my, that's a big question.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think um West Auburn is the world's greatest high school, and that the rest of the world should think that.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um I I really just have a lot to say about the teachers.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's they make they make West what it is.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um they just the staff there, um, the receptionists, the um every teacher, our custodian, our new vice principal, our new principal.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um just everybody in the building is so sweet and so considerate and so um invested in us.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_03: Our teachers every day are always out in the hallway um talking to each other and talking to the students, um, trying to get involved.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_03: They're always, you know, teasing us and joking about our, you know, relationships and what's going on in our personal lives and just trying to have fun and like stay in like actively involved with us.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um and that honestly makes it really enjoyable to come to school because like you just you look forward to talking to them and letting your teachers and friends know the thing is going on in your life.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I think that's really important, especially in high school, is making it a place that kids want to be.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I think that's hard to do, but I think West does a very good job of that.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: What what was your day like at West Auburn, like in ways that were similar but also different than a traditional high school?
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_03: I think we get there a little bit earlier than everyone else.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_03: And um right off the bat, we would um either have first period or homeroom, and we had very slow starts to the morning, very um which I appreciated.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um they actually give us time to wake up and adjust to the day.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um we also have less classes.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_03: We have four instead of six.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_03: So the longer class period I also really appreciated in the morning.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um just a slower start to your day to help you get moving and going faster.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um I really enjoyed that schedule.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we had very short passing periods, which I mean makes sense for how small the school was, but um, because of how long the classes are, that was one thing I would have liked was longer passing periods.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um of course.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um we had first, second, then lunch.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh at West Auburn, students uh well every grade level but freshman is allowed to go off campus for lunch.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_03: So that's really fun.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um all of our little groups and friends and whatnot would go get lunch from the teriyaki place and gas stations and all this stuff around town.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um come back for class, hopefully on time.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um and then we would have third and fourth, uh, which were also low-key, and then we'd be home for the day.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: And you mentioned that you have Mr.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Foster for most of your classes.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: So how does that work?
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because in a in a typical high school, uh you might have six different classes based on each subject.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: So how's that work at West?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_03: So we do have a fairly good variety of classes.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_03: Uh just a lot of teachers teach multiple subjects.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um I do think that West deserves more classes and more teachers, though.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um but Mr.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: Foster taught a lot of things like he taught most of our math classes and he also taught leadership.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_03: And then uh Miss Kebba was our CTE teacher, so she taught all the CTE classes.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um we also had Miss Williams who taught um math also there.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um was Mr.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_03: Lobert who taught all of our like social studies classes.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um we had Miss Johnson for a while, who was our English teacher, and now we have uh Miss Barnes.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um we no longer have an art teacher, but we did have Miss Love.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um so yeah, we just kind of have like one or two teachers that teach like a variety of classes within that one subject, and they're all really good at it, and I have to give them a lot of credit for that because it's hard teaching that many classes and keeping track of all that.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um but they do a really good job.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_03: And I think for as small as West is, we get a decent variety of classes.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: So you've been really generous in opening up to us about your journey.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: You also mentioned you have some really good friends.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so without naming names, tell us about a few other students and and why they connected with West.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_03: I would have to say um a friend of mine that I'm most inspired by, um, she is in the same grade as me.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_03: She is a teen mom, also.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um I just love watching her around the school um and the type of person that she is and how she juggles everything that she has going on in life.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um I admire that strongly, and it just shows that um it doesn't matter who you are, what you have going on, or where you come from, that as long as you put in the work and the effort, you can accomplish anything.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: I I think one of the most inspiring moments of the year is the uh graduation speaker and just hearing from students at West.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: I have so much respect, and and some of my favorite stories have come out of West Auburn of kids who have uh really overcome things and they're taking care of their family or they're working and going to school.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's just really inspirational to me as well.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: One thing that I hear from students a lot is uh they like a smaller environment.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they may have anxiety.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um there were things about the large high school that just didn't click.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: It was either overwhelming or there there was some reason that that became a barrier to their education.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um did you have friends who might have resonated with that?
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah, I I myself even, um, there there's just a lot going on at the main high school or the there's a lot going on at the comprehensive high schools.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I mean you can't really blame anybody for that.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_03: There's just so many kids going on, it's hard to keep everything maintained and on track.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um but West doesn't have that many kids, so it's a little bit easier, it's um a lot more mellow and it that um it is very beneficial for us kids with anxiety or who can't handle or don't like being in large crowds and around all that noise and commotion all the time.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um if you are, however, used to the noise and whatnot, it's definitely an adjustment.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_03: But um the I will say the halls definitely aren't crowded when we're walking around.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_03: That I love you don't have to run into people and shuffle around to get to class.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um and our assemblies are so nice, they're not like a huge concert.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think one thing that I hear from students and staff at West Auburn is they feel like the school is misunderstood and that it is a place that has a reputation where, you know, quote unquote bad kids are sent to go.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um but every time I'm there, I'm actually amazed by the focus of the students.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh some of the most mature students in the district are at West Auburn because they've had to grow up a little bit and they know why they're there.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: They are determined to get a high school diploma and make something of their life, and they maybe had to overcome uh either uh something that they faced in life or uh that happened to them.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um and it's really nothing like I think the reputation that some people uh seem to believe about the school.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: So what do you see when you're when you're in West Auburn?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um I see a lot of compassion and a lot of strength.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, like you said, a lot of maturity.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um I see kids who are coming in the worst of circumstances and striving to be their absolute best.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_03: And that's hard.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_03: That's hard to do when you have a lot going on at home or wherever to wake up and have to come to school and work your butt off.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_03: But every student there does it.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, I'm gonna shift gears a little bit.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: So you mentioned that once uh your teachers got to know you and your your fellow students got to know you, you were elected the class president uh at at West Auburn.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think people might not even know that that there were offices like that at West Auburn.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh tell them what you did.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I know we got to see uh the pride of things like prom, uh, but what all did the student leadership do at West?
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_03: So it was a very new process for us too.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um there was a lot of learning happening while we were while the ASB and our um leadership class was doing all of that.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um We mainly just did a lot of like upkeeping around the school, um, lots of like decorating, um, poster making.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um we did a lot of events to try and keep students involved and active.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_03: We planned assemblies, we planned uh tried to plan a few prep pep rallies, um, we did like activities and spirit weeks, um things for holidays.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we did a lot of staff versus student volleyball games that was very popular at West.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, just a lot to try and keep the student body active and involved with each other.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um there wasn't a lot said and done for the actual ASB presidency.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_03: It was just a lot of school-wide student body planning and activities, but it was still fun and it was still an amazing experience and something that I enjoyed doing a lot.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_03: And I miss it.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's that's great.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you, you know, opening the window so that we could just see into West a little bit.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: You mentioned you graduated in November.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so for people who aren't familiar with how West works, uh, we usually we think about kids graduating in June.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: How did you graduate in November?
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: What what is that process?
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it definitely looks a little bit different.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: You don't see all of the graduation decorations everywhere and all the fun stuff.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um it personally for me was kind of hard to find the excitement.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_03: It was just a lot of bittersweet feelings.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um I knew I was gonna school's just always been my place, so I knew I was gonna miss it and the people and the environment.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_03: So it was a hard goodbye.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I do go back and visit frequently.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um definitely an adjustment, but um, I was still I was still proud.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_03: It was just it didn't matter when I got it done, it was just the fact that I did it.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: And it so your studies are a little bit more self-paced.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I recall uh talking to you in the spring, you were not quite close enough to graduate, but you had a few courses left.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: So uh you did you finish those through independent study or did you take classes in the fall to to earn those credits?
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_03: I just continued taking classes in the fall.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Great.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, I'm so proud of you and and your perseverance and thank you.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um all that you've accomplished is just awesome.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: So uh thanks, DJ.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: Another thing that DJ did uh where she really made an impression on the whole district is be a part of my superintendent's student advisory.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh what do you remember about that experience?
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I remember all of it.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_03: That was so much fun.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um it was something I look forward to doing.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_03: I wish we could have done it more often.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, just a few students from all the schools come meet together every couple of months to discuss all kinds of important things, and it's um something I'm very grateful uh to be a part of or that I was a part of.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: We have a lot of people listen to this podcast, they tell me.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: I sometimes don't believe it, but they have the stats and everything.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh actually had lunch with a superintendent recently, and he was asking about the podcast and very interested and wants to listen.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um tell tell anybody who's listening, why is it important to promote student voice?
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, what's the benefit to the school and to the students uh for the adults and the leaders in the system to be listening to students?
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_03: My honest answer to that question is what could be more important?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_03: Like um this is this this is school, this is our about um our academics and whatnot.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's about the students.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_03: So I think um hearing a little bit of what we have to say and what we feel about what's what we're doing and what's going on for us, I think that's important.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: It it really is, and I remember some specific things you did, and and what I loved about West Sovereign students is um I felt like the representatives we've had from West over the years uh probably do the Best job of representing other students.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so you almost have to take your own hat off a little bit and and think that you're there not just for yourself but for a lot of kids.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I remember you in particular and your uh colleagues from West Auburn uh talking about things like dress code, and I know that sounds really kind of superficial, but you helped us to understand that it's really about as personal as it could get because it goes right to your identity and and is the school accepting you for who you are.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and and you know, we've we've had some bumps in the road on that, and you uh were very uh you know brave and and forthcoming and just made sure that we heard what we needed to hear.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I appreciated that.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for uh being with us.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um my guest again is DJ Eastlick, uh recent graduate of West Auburn High School, and she's um been on my advisory, she's really been integral to West's student leadership.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh she's helping us understand the school, and I'm really uh grateful for her story.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: Let's look ahead a little bit now.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, how did your experience at West Auburn prepare you for the next steps in your life?
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um, West was just kind of like the deciding factor for me, honestly.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_03: I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in fourth grade, I'd say.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_03: And my whole experience um going to West, being there, everything that I did there, it just it really showed me that that's what I was meant for.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we're excited that I love when talented young people say that they're interested in being an educator.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um and West showed you that that was possible.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_03: My experience being president and um just being as involved with the school as I was, it just it really showed me, it really um inspired me.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um and when I went to Mountain View, I had some experience working with kids um when I was in the careers in education class.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_03: So just a lot of little bits and pieces here and there that showed me that that's what I really wanted to do.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: So down the road, uh what path would you like to take in an education career?
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'm still deciding, but right now I'm really drawn towards like the fourth grade level or um being a middle school English teacher.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_03: I like the fourth grade to like I want to say eighth grade age range age range um is very difficult for me to choose from.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, good.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you have a long time to figure that out.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I've enjoyed getting to know uh obviously lots of kids through my student advisory and encourage them uh to pursue a career in education if that's an interest of theirs.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um think about entering as a paraeducator.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: And we have uh lots of of opportunities in in different areas of the school district to be a para.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there are pathways that you can move from being a parent to a teacher uh that are you know typically less expensive than going to a four-year school and and doing the traditional path, and you've got all that experience and you made some money along the way.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so uh whether that's in your future, I know we had uh uh one of your predecessors uh uh uh out of West Auburn who who took a path like that.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: And um I'm just excited to see what's ahead for DJ because um she's just a marvelous, mature young lady who has a lot to offer uh the kids in this community.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: So um thank you for being with me today and thank you for telling your story and opening up um about West Auburn and about your life and your education.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and we end on what I think is a really fun question.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we call this podcast the recess.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: What was your favorite thing to do at recess?
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, definitely socializing.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_03: I've always been a huge talker.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_03: I remember walking around with all my little groups of girlfriends and just spilling all the beans.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's great.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, it's it's one of the things that I I think people don't really think about that there's a lot of learning happens at recess and a lot of development.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: And uh only recently we're really talking about social emotional learning as a thing.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I I think it's just as important as uh, you know, the academic subjects when you think about being successful in life and being you know productive in your relationships and in your career.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so that's cool.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we we like that.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: Great.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, DJ, thank you so much for being with us.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we've got some amazing people just like DJ who are at uh West Auburn or have graduated from West Auburn.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I couldn't be more proud of them and uh the things they've accomplished, and I I feel like we're richer as a community uh for that school and for the staff there, and most of all our our students.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks for being with us.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for uh helping the community of Auburn really understand more about West Auburn and hear firsthand account.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_03: Well, thank you for having me and for listening to what I have to say.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: All right, you did a great job.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh don't be nervous too, be confident because you rock it.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh my guest has been DJ Eastlick, and she is a recent graduate from West Auburn and uh hoping to pursue a career in education.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm glad to share her story today because uh she's an extraordinary young person and uh really a young adult at this point.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: So um thanks for being with us.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: This has been the Recess Podcast.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we are produced by Vicki Alonzo, we tell the stories of the Auburn School District, and I want to encourage you if you enjoyed this podcast, uh please share with your neighbors.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: We're trying to get the word out, and we appreciate your help in doing that.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: All right, that'll be a wrap for this episode, and I hope to see you again next time.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening.