Growing up in San Jose, College and Career Counselor Rogelio Calderon recalls how he and his peers lacked resources to map out their career paths. While initially unsure of what career he wanted to pursue, Calderon was able to eventually determine his path through having discussions with staff members at his school. Calderon finds that his background allows him to be open minded to students’ perspectives. 

“Oftentimes, students or young adolescents may or may not be taken seriously,” Calderon said. “So for me, having a lot of experience working with students has helped me listen and hear students and find ways to ease their anxieties throughout the entire process.”

Calderon discovered his passion for academic and career guidance while attending UCSC, where he assisted fellow students with major and career planning and time management. Calderon continued to help students while teaching U.S. History in the Eastside Union District in San Jose, giving college advice and writing letters of recommendation. Calderon soon realized that he found joy in helping high school students with the college admissions process. 

Calderon finds that the parental and peer pressure that influences students at MVHS creates an academically stressful environment that is unique from the schoolsites he worked at previously. He witnesses students often getting “lost in the shuffle” and overwhelmed by the pressure of planning their college and career decisions. 

To tackle such issues, Calderon hopes to establish the College and Career Center as a “welcoming space,” and intends to support students through the college admissions process by creating college essay planning and scholarship workshops for juniors and seniors. 

“For [students who] didn’t get accepted to [certain colleges], they might feel [a] sense of defeat or might feel like they weren’t enough,” Calderon said. “A year or two from now, they’ll look back and remember that the decision that was made is something that they’re OK with because they’ll be in a much better place.  [Through this process], I really do enjoy seeing the big and small wins for students.”

Calderon connects with students by allowing them the space to open up and share before he begins to give advice. 

In his free time, Calderon enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and has gone on trips to Big Sur and Oregon. In the spring, he spends time prepping his garden to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers. He describes himself as a “huge Marvel fan” and “lover of comedy shows” including Parks and Recreation, The Office and Abbott Elementary. 

Calderon describes the most rewarding aspect of his career as witnessing students choose their future career paths. He remembers the pride he felt when one of his former students returned to tell him that they were accepted into the study abroad program. 

“The joys that I see with our students is just hearing where they’re going,” Calderon said. “I love hearing what they want to do, even if they’re [unsure] but willing to tackle it [to] see if [it’s] something [they’ll] enjoy. That’s something that our students misunderstand; they think that you have to know exactly what you want to do. There [are] many adults out there who don’t know that and are still figuring it out. So I [want to] let our students know that it’s all right, and that at the end of the day, they will be fine.”