Pursuing a dream job should be an enjoyable endeavour, so Sky Imai enrolled at SCROC to further his knowledge in what he loves best—animals and their behavior. The junior, Imai, is currently enrolled as a student in the Pet Health and Grooming class at the Southern California Regional Occupation Center (SCROC). In the class, he learns all about the anatomy, behavior, health, bathing, and grooming of dogs and cats. His enjoyment of the course stems from his connections with animals from the beginning.
“It’s just always been a passion of mine since I was little. I’ve always felt [connected to] animals since I grew up with a dog,” Imai said.
His gravitation towards animals highlights the path Imai wants to take in the future. He mentions that his main goal is to gain a deeper understanding of animals and their behaviors. However, Imai is still unsure about what sort of occupation he wants his enrollment at SCROC to support.
“I’m just exploring my options. If I do the vet class in the future, and a dog grooming class, it’ll just give me more options to go off of instead of one specific direction,” Imai said.
With Imai’s head turned toward a specific future, his counselor, Eva Ziss-Patton, mentions that his participation in this course is just “another piece of the puzzle.”
“Sky is a great student and has a very clear picture of what he wants to do in the future. […] So knowing what his goals were, we kind of did backwards planning. And he already is really involved. He has his volunteer experience, his clubs, and everything is in alignment with what he wants to do in his future,” Ziss-Patton said.
Not only does the class shape a clearer picture of Imai’s future, but it is also a large source of enjoyment for him. The Pet Health and Grooming class provides additional opportunities for those who are not a good fit for the Career Tech Education (CTE) classes already offered at RUHS. Since the classes are taken outside of school, Imai is required to invest a few hours after school almost every day to participate.
“It does add more of a time commitment, but honestly, I’d say it’s worth it, because it’s after school. I used HopSkipDrive, which is a commuting service, so it’s pretty flexible […] It does take time away from my own personal time, but I also like that the class itself is also really enjoyable,” Imai said.
Learning about animal behavior and anatomy is not the only thing that thrills Imai when it comes to learning about pet health; it is also the teachers. He mentions that the teachers are different from those who teach at Redondo.
“It’s also different from high school. Because it’s considered a college class, they’re lenient, but they’re also more friendly and talkative. And besides just being like a student teacher, it’s also just someone I can learn from,” Imai said.
Because the teachers are less like teachers and more like knowledgeable peers, Imai says that his connection to his SCROC teachers is better compared to that of his teachers at RUHS. Ziss-Patton said that Imai enjoys practicing the practical, hands-on skills, as well as collaboration with other students, which is offered at SCROC.
“Even though the class is filled with people of all ages, it’s a new experience talking to people older than you. There’s a lot to learn from them,” Imai said.
Although Imai is surrounded by a multitude of peers who share the same vision for the future, he notes that he has barely scratched the surface of what he needs to know. Imai is only in the first level class for the Pet Health and Grooming class, so there’s a full extension of concepts he doesn’t know yet that are in the subsequent classes.
“I’d say I’m still at step zero. I’m still a novice. I still have a lot to learn.” Imai said.
Even though Imai is still unsure about the specifics of his future career, he knows that he wants to work with animals as an occupation. His enrollment at SCROC will help support his process, but still show him that there is more ahead of him than he thought.
