The Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC) teaches both high schoolers and adults, though the classes are only free for those still in high school because of RUHS’s partnership with them.
The center does more than just teach classes, it also provides kids with more post-school options other than just college. It gives them job opportunities and allows them to go directly into the workforce after school. This opportunity was perfect for freshman Damien Grijalva, who said he did not think he saw a future for himself in going to college.
Offering diverse classes from cosmetology to welding, the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC), is a place any RUHS student can go for free. Freshman Damien Grijalva took advantage of this opportunity, applying to be in their electrical classes for this semester.
“I take [the classes] Mondays and Wednesdays, three hours a day after school. On Mondays, we get a lecture. The teacher introduces us to the subject. And then Wednesday, we do hands-on [activities], like [building] electrical units,” Grijalva said.
Grijalva, who has built with his hands since his childhood, thought that the class was a perfect opportunity for him when he learned about it in his English class.
“I found out about it in my ELA class. [My teacher, Keely Pompa] introduced SCROC to us, and I started getting interested in it,” Grijalva said. “Then, once I got interested, I went to my counselor, and we talked more about it. She introduced me to it, and then I just signed into the program.”
“You have to take certain classes to get to that [employed]. So let’s say, because I’m in electrical, after electrical, there’s advanced electrical. In advanced electrical, they introduce you to more jobs,” Grijalva said
Along with learning, the program also gives Grijalva something fun to do during the week, and is “not overwhelming.” According to him, time is easy to manage even with the program twice a week for a few hours every week.
“I’m happy that my teacher introduced me to it because if I didn’t know about SCROC, I wouldn’t be doing it , and SCROC is a good class. I really like it,” Grijalva said.
Grijalva’s father, Maurico Grijalva, graduated from SCROC in the early 90’s and took SCROC’s plumbing class and believes that the school helped him a lot when he was younger.
“I was a young kid, I didn’t have any options, so I decided to start changing my life. I did that and I went to SCROC for a whole year,” Maurico Grijalva said.
After hearing that Grijalva was interested in joining SCORC, Maurico Grijalva encouraged his son to keep going with his education, not only wanting him to do electrical work, but also encouraged him to possibly go on to be an engineer.
“I went and worked with [my brother]. and then I ended up working at the place I still work. I’ve been working there for 28 years. I run the whole hospital. I do all the maintenance, all the HVAC, electrical, plumbing. [SCROC] changed my life a lot,” Maurico Grijalva said.
Maurico Grijalva acknowledged his son’s hands-on approach with many things, telling stories about how Grijalva would help around the house.
“He used to always help me when I was doing construction work in the house. He helped me all the time. So, I noticed he liked to do that,” Maurico Grijalva said.
Maurico Grijalva was invested in Grijalva’s application process, but ultimately just wanted his son to enjoy what he was doing.
“I told him there’s options. You can do this, you can do that. You gotta love what you do, you know,” Maurico Grijalva said. “Try it, see if you like it. If you don’t like it, you can try something different. But you gotta start doing something.”