In our ongoing series highlighting PATH to Success Scholarship program gold winners, we’re turning our attention to our award recipients in Los Angeles: Esperanza Hernandez, Norma Lozano, Juan Santos and Prisila Neri.
PATH is one of 11 scholarship programs that Westwood offers, and it’s designed to reward enrolled students who are taking control of their futures through dedicated career planning and action.
Be sure to read about our previously highlighted winners in Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, and Georgia.
Prisila Neri
Campus: Los Angeles South Bay
Studying: Construction Management
Expected Graduation: 2014
It is without a hint of hesitation that Prisila Neri says, “My career goal is to become a strong successful business leader, focused on environmental building within the construction industry, with the intention of inspiring more women to join the construction field.”
Prisila was first introduced to the profession by her father, who is a carpenter. She says, “All of his work was beautiful art to me, and I was always impressed with and inspired by his projects. I really enjoy watching a project develop from start to finish; it is such an amazing experience to see something being created right before my eyes.”
While many of the men in her family work in the construction industry, she will be the first woman in her family to have a career in construction. She strongly believes the construction industry holds plenty of opportunities for women to grow and succeed. When she graduates, she plans to become a member of the NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction), saying, “I know that construction is a male-dominated field but there is plenty of space for us women, and I want inform women about this.”
Prisila is focused on environmental construction, noting that she would like to “contribute in preserving this planet we share with all living things.” She plans to become LEED AP certified when she graduates, which would denote her practical knowledge in the LEED for New Construction, LEED for Schools and LEED for Core and Shell rating systems.
Prisila is networking and building her construction experience by working at an inspection firm, where she holds an administrative marketing position. She is also currently a member of the CMAA (Construction Management Association of America), an organization that has awarded her a scholarship.
As the vice president of the construction management club at Westwood College, Prisila helps get students involved in the construction industry and sets up fieldtrips to construction sites.
Her words of advice: “There are plenty of risks in this business, but I believe that in order for every risk to be worthwhile, there should be a meaningful purpose behind it.”
Esperanza Hernandez
Campus: Los Angeles
Studied: Graphic Design
Graduated: October 2013
With a desire to work as a layout artist for a major media company that “fosters growth, creativity and communication,” Esperanza Hernandez set out to earn her college education with a plan that involved more than just going to classes and doing homework. She reached her goal of obtaining her associate degree in October 2013 and now is working toward her bachelor’s degree.
Esperanza found working in the office of student finance a great asset. She says, “I didn’t consider my job a job. I considered it helping my college out.” The work study job helped her get to know the faculty and staff at school, allowing her to gain even more experience amid seasoned layout artists and office workers.
She was also active in the Vision Club, a group for students pursuing their degrees in graphic design, where she served as a photographer and became involved with charities such as the American Lung Association. “We helped design the motivational posters for the runners,” she says.
Esperanza’s career plan included taking advantage of on-campus opportunities, such as mock interviews with career services, designing a scholarship poster and networking. She says, “I’m improving my design portfolio and updating constantly.”
Her words of advice: “As a design student I would recommend building up your portfolio as much as you can. Also, get involved as much as you can. Westwood offers us so many opportunities.”
Juan Santos
Campus: Los Angeles Anaheim
Studying: Criminal Justice
Expected Graduation: 2014
“My passion is helping at-risk youth that are in need of positive role models and assisting them with the problems that are keeping them from excelling in life,” says Juan Santos.
For Juan, maintaining good grades and volunteering are at the top of the list for reaching his goal of becoming a youth advocate. Each term, he meets with a career services advisor to stay up to date about information in criminal justice and to learn about volunteer opportunities.
His volunteer efforts have included serving as a mentor for POWER 4 Youth, which provides one-on-one mentoring to at-risk youth in the cities of Long Beach and Lakewood, Calif. He has also served on the board of directors for POWER 4 Youth, discussing fundraising, the organization’s budget, and strategies for expanding and growing its community outreach.
Juan adds, “Because it is highly likely that speaking in front of an audience will be part of the job duties of a youth advocate, I became a member of Toastmasters, a club that helps students with speaking in public. It gave me confidence to speak in front of people and allowed for me to gain knowledge on different ways to give presentations and speeches.”
His words of advice: “Arriving on time, turning in assignments when they are due, and participating in discussions are part of what make an instructor enjoy having a student in their class.”
Norma Lazano
Campus: Los Angeles Inland Empire
Studied: Criminal Justice
Graduated: 2013
Norma Lazano has many career goals, but the two at the very top of her list are becoming a youth advocate and a crisis intervention counselor.
In pursuit of these goals, this recent grad’s plan is to gain as much experience in social services as possible and to learn firsthand how to deal with at-risk teens and victims. She plans to volunteer at Project Sister in their advocate program to help sexually abused children and adults. She says, “Not only will I gain more knowledge in crisis intervention; psychological, sociological and medical aspects of sexual assault; the criminal justice process, legal procedures, and valuable social service resources, but I will also become state certified to become a crisis intervention counselor for sexual assault, which is another career goal I will like to achieve.” After completing the Project Sister advocate program, and gaining CPR and first aid certification, she plans to apply at David and Margaret Youth and Family Services, which provides family services and mental health counseling programs.
She says of Westwood’s career services, “They were really helpful in providing insight into what I needed to do to increase my chances of getting hired.” Norma also attended resume and mock interview workshops, and volunteer fairs at Westwood. She has also gained experience in security work to build her resume.
Her words of advice: “The career services workshops are really helpful in creating a presentable resume, and doing a mock interview prepared me with potential questions an employer might ask.”