Jennifer Giarritta: Senior Clerical Assistant
Becoming MVHS’ Senior Clerical Assistant wasn’t always Jennifer Giarritta’s plan. Following high school, she attended West Valley Community College, but her boyfriend’s unfortunate passing led her to drop out. Giarritta explains that this period in her life was quite emotional and overwhelming, and it left her uncertain about her future career. After working as a waitress in her early 20s, Giarritta turned to a job in accounting before discovering an interest in education.
“My youngest daughter really inspired me to go back to school,” Giarritta said. “I went back to West Valley, and I wanted to change into more of a service where I could help people. My counselor at West Valley encouraged me to go into education instead of corporate, which really piqued my interest.”
This change in her career didn’t surprise Giarritta, as participating in her daughters’ swimming activities in their childhood had already helped her realize she enjoyed working with young children and teenagers. Giarritta is proud of her journey, believing that with service and education, she has found a career where she truly feels comfortable. She has worked the front desk for the last 10 years at MVHS and consistently enjoys interacting with students. Giarritta routinely tries to provide support and a safe environment while working with teachers behind the scenes.
“I love working with the teachers on a daily basis,” Giarritta said. “Some other positions do work with the teachers, but not as much. There’s lots of action going on each day. I support the staff, the teachers, with whatever needs that they have, which really energizes me.”
Deb Mandac: Assistant Principal Secretary, ASB Secretary
Each Monday, Assistant Principal Secretary Deb Mandac updates the daily bulletin board in the front office with announcements and athletic events for the upcoming week. Working with Nick Bonacorsi, MVHS’ athletic director, she regularly fields questions from students regarding athletics schedules and mandates. Although her work schedule consists extensively of writing memos and managing club activities and field trips, Mandac finds balance at home through singing, crafting and playing the flute.
“I sing with a choir at church and music is a passion for me, and that’s where I like to play and have fun,” Mandac said. “I love to craft and be creative, and I definitely let that side of me take control of my life once I leave work — I walk out the door and I’m thinking of a multitude of things that I could get my hands on to create.”
Mandac has played the flute since she was 6 years old, practicing the instrument throughout her life. She used her time at Foothill College to further explore her interests, where she found her passion for history, which she eventually majored in. When the job position for Fremont High School’s Assistant Secretary Principal opened, Mandac’s husband encouraged her to apply, motivating her to pursue a career she soon grew to love. While her passion for history still lingered, she continued working in school administration. Following layoffs at FHS, Mandac took up the same position at MVHS, where she has worked for the last 24 years.
“I had come to the conclusion that I probably would like to teach,” Mandac said. “Then I got the job here at Monta Vista, and I realized that I just love working in a school. I love working with the students, where for the most part, they are absolutely fantastic. I love working with the staff and I just enjoy the environment.”
Hadiya Key: Attendance Manager
Rather than attending a two- or four-year college after high school, Attendance Manager Hadiya Key honed her people management skills by working in a variety of fields, ranging from retail to social service. For example, at Great America, Key learned the process of working with basic schedules, while at clothing and retail stores, she went outside her comfort zone and handled confrontations with people.
“Walmart was my biggest lesson,” Key said. “I’ve had so much. I’ve had things thrown at me — I’ve been called racial slurs. It taught me a lot about how to talk and manage emotional situations.”
Key wanted to leave retail jobs to provide a stable income for her daughter, so she began applying to jobs at high schools. Returning from the COVID-19 pandemic, she took on a job at MVHS overlooking the mandatory COVID-19 tests administered to students. She later shifted to attendance, where she has worked since.
“My daughter is the reason why I am the person I am now,” Key said. “She forced me to grow up and be more responsible. I was working retail, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I needed more. I wanted to do more. I just started taking steps to move forward and find a job that I would want to stay at and be consistent at.”
Key believes she has found that at MVHS. Although her inbox is overloaded with emails and voicemails from both parents and students every morning, the skills she has acquired for handling people and thinking on the spot have helped Key manage the students coming in late and their attendance records. She enjoys interacting with students, citing it as the best part of her job.
“I like to mess with students a little bit, especially the ones that I see every day,” Key said. “I’ve actually grown to have good relationships with some students that come in quite often.”
Judy Gonzalez: School Financial Specialist
School Financial Specialist Judy Gonzalez’s relationship with God is integral to her life. As a nondenominational Christian, she focuses on building her relationship with her beliefs, often writing letters and poetry to practice her faith.
“I write letters to God and and I pray for my family, for my loved ones, for whoever it is that I feel needs prayer or just want to lift up,” Gonzalez said. “I do a lot of writing in that way, of what I’m going through and what I’m feeling and praying for a better tomorrow.”
Writing has been a passion for Gonzalez ever since she served as a co-editor-in-chief at her high school’s news publication. Growing up in Los Angeles, she worked for LA County to help reconstruct dysfunctional families. This was especially meaningful to her due to the unfavorable conditions of the children involved in the cases. Gonzalez says she enjoyed her time at the program, citing the powerful impact she had.
When Gonzalez’s family decided to move away from LA for better job prospects, she was forced to explore and seek new opportunities. After working in school administrations at both Homestead High School and Cupertino High School for five years each, she was promoted to the School Financial Specialist at MVHS for the 2023-2024 school year. As the only financial specialist at MVHS, Gonzalez overlooks numerous tax reports and memos sent to the district. She says the switch in software tools after moving schools has been challenging for her adjustment.
“The learning curve has been difficult, and getting people to feel comfortable as they get to know me has been a work in progress,” Gonzalez said. “It was challenging, but the exciting part has been learning about my different administrators and coworkers.”
