Samantha Valle (12) explains what her life will be like after graduation and gives tips to incoming freshmen.

Jasmine Toolan: What do you do for a living? 

Samantha Valle: I don’t work. I’m just going to school. 

JT: What do you want to do after you graduate? 

SV: After I graduate I was planning to become an ultrasound technician, specifically pediatric sonography. They take ultrasounds of pregnant women and I would like to do that. I’ve always loved babies. I grew up around children a lot. I think that has had an impact on what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and career wise. I plan to enroll into a two-year program to at least get my bachelor’s. There’s a few schools I’ve already researched and I’m currently interested in going to CBD College in KoreaTown. 

JT: How do you plan on achieving that?

SV: Just discipline, a lot of discipline. I have the encouragement and I know I can do it; I don’t want to be stuck with a minimum wage job for the rest of my life. I know I can push myself and I have helped with my older sister specifically. She’s really encouraging me and she’s helping me a lot, looking at programs and colleges.

JT: Was this always your goal to work with pregnant women or did you have to change your mind over time. 

SV: Over time I did change it because originally I wanted to work via child psychiatrist, but I realized that would take a lot more schooling and obviously more money. I was talking to my sister like I don’t know what to do. I want to work with children. But specifically, more medical. 

Samantha then explains that the reason why she chose to do ultrasounds on pregnant women was because her sister was talking about one of her friends who works in that area. 

SV: So then she told me about her friend that does ultrasounds. And she said that she liked it, and that she did it in two years. [college] I was like oh that’s pretty nice and convenient. I would love to see pregnant women and see the growth of the child inside them. I still have that sort of still-working-with-children type of thing but with pregnant women. 

JT: Where do you see yourself in ten years? 

SV: In ten years, maybe living in a bigger house? A better car. Possibly married, maybe children, maybe one or two, or maybe I’ll have some dogs or cats. But hopefully my financial state will be really good. I hope to be happy with my job.

JT: Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen and sophomores that don’t know what to do yet? 

SV: My advice to them would just go to class. Honestly, just go to class. And get out there, talk to people and socialize. I wish someone told me something like that as a freshman, like advice.  Just go to class. Because when you’re a senior about to graduate and you’re missing credits, it’s like, oh, no. I’ve seen that a lot here, especially last year. And I think that sucks. And I think it’d be better to have more options open if you pass more of your classes if you had good grades, you know. So I think if you go to class, be studious. Just work really hard. Really hard. If you need help, ask for it. That’s what they’re here for. The teachers are here for you. But yeah, honestly, just go to class.