linking one another

By Eunice Rios

A lot of emotions can arise when you first step onto a high school campus. Being in a new environment and starting fresh can be overwhelming.

When arriving at a new school, you don’t have a lot of knowledge of the area and you still need to do some adjusting.

Statistics show that freshmen are more likely to fail their first year of high school because there's a lack of help, support, and guidance.

Link Crew is a class that has been around the world for over 27 years. It’s a class for juniors and seniors which helps freshmen feel welcomed in high school. This is Yerba Buena’s first year with Link Crew and the advisor is Mrs. Valdivia.

“Link Crew is a class for upperclassmen. It’s a class for juniors and seniors and they are mentors for the freshmen. The Link Leaders help freshmen academically and socially. They become friends with them and have a bond,” Mrs. Valdivia said.

To be a Link Leader, you have to try to be committed to tasks. “A challenge for being in Link Crew is time management. Some Link Leaders work and the seniors have their senior projects. I’m a history teacher as well, and it’s hard because I also have stuff to do for my history class.”

By being part of Link Crew, you get to learn skills and help students grow. “In the class, not only do you talk to freshmen, but you also talk to the staff and adults. You build empathy.”

“There are a lot of introverts in the class and they only talk to their freshmen at their own pace. You practice in class on how to approach a freshmen. It helps lower the level of anxiety and stress,” Mrs. Valdivia said.

“It’s important to have Link Crew because it offers opportunities for leaders to step out of their comfort zone. We also help out with the blood drive and in the next few years we are going to do more community service,” Mr. Valdivia said.

Lidia Landeros is a student and Link Leader at Yerba Buena High School. “When I was a freshman, I was struggling, lost, and confused. I had no one to guide me and I felt like an outcast. I can help freshmen who feel the same way I did,” Lidia said.

“You learn to be a leader, have social skills, and learn how to talk and communicate with others. I like the class because of the people I met and my friends that are in it too,” Lidia said.

“It’s a fun class, very energetic, and not a lot of classwork. A struggle is that sometimes freshmen don’t really want help,” Lidia said.

“I recommend other students to join it too because it’s a fun experience and it looks good on college apps,” Lidia said.\

Ms. Dalia Borrego, a secretary at Yerba Buena high School has gone through times of troubles throughout her high school experience. She was born and raised in Mexico and it was hard for her to get help when she entered high school.

“In high school, I was barely getting comfortable with the area. It was a struggle speaking English. I didn’t know where to go if I needed help because no one was there to guide me. No one told me about programs, clubs, or anything to participate in school activities,” Mrs. Borrego said.

“When I see Link Crew, I see how active it is and how good of a class it is. There’s a lot of future in it. It focuses on freshmen. They help support them, show guidance, and make events for them.”

“I would’ve loved to have Link Crew as a freshman. I wish I had a second opportunity to go back in time.”

“Link Crew doesn't just focus on freshmen, they also help the school with the blood drive, Parent Teacher Conferences, and other school events. I can’t wait to see and hear more.”

Since I am currently in the Link Crew class, I personally think that Link Crew is a really great class and we do a lot of social activities with the freshmen. We do events for them once every month. Every student in the class has around 20 freshmen and in the events we make, we socialize with them and help them out.

Every event is different and we play games, give prizes, and have food. Some of our events are during lunch or after school. We do community service and help out with certain school events.

Statistics show that freshmen are more likely to fail their first year of high school because there’s lack of

(If you are interested in finding out more about the Link Crew class, contact the advisor, Mrs. Valdivia for more info in room 302).