Isabel Noriega is a freshman at Mt. SAC Early College Academy (MECA) from Ramona Middle School in La Verne. She was first met with the decision of coming to this school when her parents suggested it, and what had really caught her eye was the college classes that are offered to its students. With this, Noriega hopes to make the absolute best of her high school experience, even while focusing on her academics.
Noriega has big dreams; she hopes to be either a school psychologist or a speech-language pathologist. What had made her want to join this type of career was her experience in helping the nursery in her church.
“Every morning, I would go and help out with the kids for like, an hour and a half, two hours, and I really, really ended up liking it, and so I fell in love with it,” Noriega said.
Having come to MECA for the college classes, Noriega wants to take psychology and world religions.
“I think those would really help me prepare for, like, my actual career,” Noriega said.
If she’s not helping out in the nursery, Noriega is working hard in school, her favorite class is CCR, and it really does come in handy, with what she wants to end MECA with, in the future she hopes to end her high school schooling with as many college credits as she can “from like sophomore to senior year.” She has also said that she is deciding whether she wants to get her Associates Degree for Transfer while at MECA.
She also has quite a few hobbies, “ I like to do kind of anything, I have a lot of hobbies.”
Noriega is never left bored. She had been in band for four years, and she likes to draw, paint, or sketch. She is also quite crafty, while at home she likes to do small crafts.
“I like drawing, painting, and sketching. I like anything like that,” she said. She even plans on taking ceramics as an elective next school year to follow her passion for arts and crafts.
One of Noriega’s favorite things about MECA is its small, close-knit campus, with it being such a small school, you can know everyone better and have that deeper connection with friends, “I didn’t realize I wanted a small school, but now I like it more than if it was a big school.” she stated.
In her personal life, she’s still always being kept entertained, she enjoys hanging out with her younger sister, and having those late night conversations with her. She’s also an enjoyer of sports. Noriega is currently playing football, and she enjoys attending and practicing her skills. She is also playing soccer for her neighbor’s church, as she was offered to play by them. “I really just like hanging out with my sister, and then I also really like football and soccer games,” she said.
With her outgoing nature, Noriega is really planning to make the most of the years she has at MECA. If it’s in CCR, with her sister, or out playing her sports, she is trying her best and doing it in her best way.
