Mentor Interview

Interview with Kristina Fraijo

An interview with my mentor discussing the road to her career choice.

My mentor, Kristina Fraijo, is a volunteer coordinator for the city of San Diego. Her job is to recruit people who are in the need of volunteering and place them in different projects around the city. Because I found her job so random and wanted to know how she ended up here, I asked questions that I knew would fit best. I wanted to know what her major success were at this job, and to see what college classes she had taken. The main purpose for my interview was to see what she personally did after high school and in college.

How did you get to this job?

I worked in community parks too as a recreation specialist. In that capacity a lot of the position responsibilities were similar to this job and the aquatics, which is were I was before this position kind of worked hand and hand with the supervisory position. I am in this supervisory position only for a short period of time, as an OCA person out of class person. The persons whose job I am taking is on medical leave. I will probably come back as a recreation specialist for aquatics helping the volunteer office at some stage. I think it had to do with the fact that I come from a city wide perspective, that I do a lot of programming, recruiting, and program development work.

I wanted to know what her first impression was so that way I could maybe establish a connection with what my first impression was. I thought this question would be perfect to ask because I was so curious the first day I started my internship. I was curious into seeing what I thought about the work I'm going to be doing and what type of environment I'm going to be in.

What was your first impression?

My first lasting impression of this job was how cool is it that there are so many people in our community that want to serve their cities community programs. They want to volunteer their time to help increase the beauty of the open space parks, or whatever it is, but so many people are willing to volunteer. I thought that was super cool.

When you were younger is this the career you wanted?

No way.

Successes are, what I think, motivate people want to do more, and over achieve in certain areas of their work. Asking this question was a great way for me to understand what my Mentor's major successes are and to see if any of those still motivate her now or inspire her to do better.

What are some successes in your job?

In this position or overall? Let me tell you overall because I have the recreation specialist position for a long time and I have more time in that. So success there were being able to take my personal experience and knowledge, that I spent a lot of time and effort gaining, and to be able to create guidelines or programming that reflected the needs of our community, youth aquatic programs and to develop a training program for our fitness instructors again. Expression of my personal experience being able to put that on paper and use it as a guide to help train individuals that wanted to move into those positions or wanted to be in those positions in our aquatics programs.

Any major successes?

Being able to manage a new position with 3 brand new volunteers and being able to see that management move in a direction I'm desiring and feeling success. A specific accomplishment matching on a really short period of time, I think I had two weeks to place a hundred volunteers in the community on one particular day for one particular amount of time. That was one of my first projects.

What have you learned at your job?

Wow, I have learned a lot of things. I have learned, how to use a computer, Computer Programs, life skills, communicating with others, making request, not being impacted when you hear but or no or cant do that. Recognizing that its not be that it's the structure as we look at it now. That always the structure is going to change, so in this moment maybe what I have to offer or what I'm saying is that being regarded in a way that I'm wishing it would be but who know what will happen in 6 or a year down that line so to stick with some of those life skills that reflect how the evolution of change and interest and goals.. you know. I have been in it for a long time. What else have I learned, I've learned that you cant host events on too hold or too cold of days on aquatics events because people will loose focus and interest you got to learn to always have snacks whenever you have a meeting people like to eat. I have learned, to be clear and concise in communicating. I don't always practice it but I learned that will always be beneficial written or verbal communications. I've learned once your energy goes and you don't have interest any more you need to create or move in a direction to keep your creative juice flowing or else your not going to be happy getting up and going where ever it is your going every morning.

What are some everyday challenges you face at your job?

Having a very limited budget. Knowing that at one stage there was more money available to do the same level of service. That's a challenge. I this new position being clearer around my, How will I utilize my energy in the best way for this program at this stage.

If you can change anything about your job what would it be?

Two other full time people working with me. I would have a level on technology supporting the interview, application, identification of and placement of volunteers. I would change the number of technology we are working with, the number of people that support the program of the office. Yes, thank you for clarifying that. Yes I would change it so that it’s increased and works better. More people at higher levels. I would make my office more outside, so I would set up a computer station outside so I can do some of my work outside as well as inside. I would, well here are some of the things I'm going to change I would create a more mutually beneficial relationship with other volunteers program managers through out the city and that's it.

What do you find is the most exciting part of your job?

The most exciting part is meeting the individuals wanting to contribute so getting to know them and getting to hear their interest and enthusiasm matching their interest and enthusiasm with projects that support our organization. Another exciting part is to see how many volunteer organizations exist and the amount of service people in our community provide to the place that they live in, I had no idea before I had this job that so many people volunteer on a weekly daily basis in so many different facets of the community, so that's been really exciting for me to learn. Exciting in terms of doing I guess getting out and seeing and meeting the volunteers and watching them, watching my match making work seeing the project completed. Seeing the excitement and joy of everyone involved. Just meeting new people who have different stories.

Where did you go to college?

San Diego State, I went for my under graduate degree. Then Azusa pacific was where I got my graduate degree.

How long did you attend college?

Total of I think 8 years. Took me 5 years to get my undergrad and 3 years to get my graduate degree.

What classes did you complete?

My undergraduate class, my emphasis was in Social Sciences which my intention at that stage was to be a high school teacher. A History sociology, that sort of thing. When I went to, when I got my graduate in degree it was in coaching and leadership, I was an emphasis of physical education.

Which classes did you find the most challenging?

Anything with numbers. So, Economics I found really challenging or theories relating to economics. When I was in undergrad, classes that had to do with philosophy that sort of thing. That was challenging, but when I became a….later on it ended up making more sense. In my graduate work that challenging classes for me were those that had to do with like memorizing numbers and they were the ones that were less about feeling and evolution and human experience and more about these are the facts you need to learn.

Overall I believe that I have gotten all my questions answered, I think my mentor did a great job at answering them because she was very descriptive. I think learning about her personal career choice and learning what she went through was a great thing for me to hear about. Because I was curious about how she ended up at this job it led me the these questions which I think were a great way to learn more about my mentor.