Vrunda Shah
Staff Writer
Eagle Era: How long have you been a campus supervisor at American?
Smith: I have been working at American for 4 years and I coach football at American.
EE: Why did you choose this profession and how did you get involved with American?
Smith: I used to be a campus supervisor at Irvington for 17 years. I became a campus supervisor at American because my best friend told me about a job opening at American and I had just finished college ball at Laney College, a junior college in Oakland. I started off coaching football and gradually became a campus supervisor. Football is family to me and that is one of the reasons why I choose to be a campus supervisor. I also chose this profession because I wanted to become a mentor to the young students; when I was young, there were not many mentors around me, and I want students to have mentors. Overall this job is very interesting because I get to work with all the students, the good ones and bad ones.
EE: What do you like about this school?
Smith: There are so many things. One of the top things of the charts is the “melting pot” of different cultures at American which makes this school a pleasurable place to be. I am the kind of guy that will learn every culture. One thing I learned is how to say “keys” in Punjabi, which is “chaabi.”
EE: How much longer do you plan on working here?
Smith: I plan on being here for one more semester. I am in my last semester for my masters in Athletic Administration in Ohio University, an online university. I would probably be here for about another semester. Hopefully, I will get a good job in Athletic Administration.
EE: What is the craziest thing you dealt with as being a campus supervisor? How did you deal with it?
Smith: The craziest moment happened at Irvington when I caught students running around with underwear on their head. Then, I stopped and told them to take them off and put it back wherever they found it. I chose to talk to the students and ask them why they did this prank because I believe in talking to the student first, before punishing them. This is one of the main reasons why the adults are disconnected to their children – they fail to understand why the student did that prank.
EE: What is a funny incident that occurred to you while working at American High?
Smith: There is actually nothing funny that ever happens around here, which is sad at the same time. Many students are engaged in studying, but kids sometimes need to be kids. They need to be [goofy] and enjoy their high school life. You only get to be a high school student once. At lunch take time to enjoy lunch and go watch the games. There are a lot of people worrying about getting into college, which is funny because you are going to get in regardless. I think most kids are missing out on the fun things happening in high school.
EE: Is there anything else you would like to say?
Smith: My best advice for students in high school is anything that you touch you should always leave it better than you found it.
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