By Khue Tran
Have you ever looked at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) course selection and wondered what happens in Fashion Design, Environmental Design and Culinary Arts? Well, meet one of FVHS’ beloved arts and humanity teachers, Alissa Hernandez. For the past six years, she has been the teacher behind the desk for many of our CTE courses.
Hernandez’s journey with FVHS began in her high school years when she attended FVHS as a student. She then went on to pursue a career as a school guidance counselor. During her time in college, Hernandez found herself interested in a role inside the classroom.
“I wasn’t sure [about being a teacher] at the time, but now, I can’t imagine myself doing something different. Being in a classroom — being with so many unique students — is never boring. I never come home and think ugh, I was so bored today at work,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez has been a teacher for twelve years. She first started as a student teacher at FVHS, then transferred to Dana Hill High School for six years, after which she transferred back to FVHS for the 2018-2019 school year and has stayed here since.
She has taught a variety of subjects from economics to life management, but in recent years she has found an interest in Career Technical Education (CTE) courses. CTE pathways are project-based classes that teach hands-on skills for particular careers and help students apply that knowledge to enter technical industries. They often offer grant opportunities and field trips to show students around the industry. This year, she is focused on teaching Fiber Arts (Fashion Design 2) and Culinary 1.
“Project-based classrooms teach students how to be self-starters … It teaches you a lot of self-discipline and time management,” Hernandez said. “It also builds up soft skills you’d need for a specific career like communication for Fiber Arts and hospitality for Culinary.”
Among her students, Hernandez is beloved because of her passion for teaching and fondness for her students. She shares that her favorite part about teaching project-based courses is the connection she’s able to build between her and her students
“I like the laid-back environment where we get to converse and you get to know your students,” Hernandez said. “I just like to hear about [students’] day, learn about their favorite sports team or their favorite coffee place.”
Outside of the classroom, Hernandez enjoys spending time with her family. Her favorite hobbies include trying out new restaurants and catching up on Netflix shows like the newest season of Outer Banks. Her all-time favorite hobby, however, is no doubt going to Disneyland.
“As you enter the park there is a plaque on top of the tunnel that reads, ‘Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy,'” Hernandez said. “That is what I love about Disney. It’s a place where you can escape the stress of the real world and live in a world of fun and fantasy.”
As she told about the journey that led her to become an art teacher at FVHS, Hernandez reminisced about the good times she had during high school and wished that her students would cherish their memories the way she did.
“I try to tell my students to not rush growing up. Go to college, enjoy those four years and don’t try to rush the process,” Hernandez continues. “You have plenty of time as a grown-up. Your years as a young adult are so short — it’s the first twenty-five years of your life, and people are living up to 90. You have so much adulthood to come and very little youth left.”
