Page 7 - Dinuba Sentinel 1-17-19 E-edition

The Dinuba Sentinel
Community Thursday, January 17, 2019 | A7 When career meets
heart work
G.A.T.E. student interviews Assistant Superintendent
for the position and once again prepared for another career change. She was offered the position and that is when her job truly became her passion.
When asked what she does on a daily basis, she answered that she supports principals and deals with employee and parent complaints. Since she works in human resources, so she works to help people solve their problems. She oversees staff, recruits new teachers and makes sure they have
Lincoln Elementary School G.A.T.E. student Melissa Rubio, right, takes notes while interviewing Dinuba Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Marti Kovechar.
Photo contributed
In her spare time, Ms.Kochevar enjoys photography, a skill she learned in high school. She discovered her love for both photography and journalism through her journalism class. She took pictures for her high school yearbook. Though these were just hobbies
then, they have now become a lifelong interest. Through perseverance, dedication, and hard work, and heart, Ms.Kochevar is inspiring Dinuba students to see that they have an opportunity to achieve and succeed in any career path they
choose.
By Melissa Rubio
DUSD GATE student
When students in the Dinuba Unified School District look for examples of leadership, they don’t have to look any further than our own Assistant Superintendent, Ms. Marti Kochevar.
Although, if you would have asked her several years ago if she would have predicted a career in education, her answer would have been, “probably not.” After graduating from Cal Poly with a degree in accounting, and spending several years in that career, she discovered she just wasn’t fulfilled.
After having her own children, she discovered she really enjoyed working with school aged kids. This led her to pursue a career in education. Ms. Kochevar headed back to college once again, this time to obtain a teaching credential.
Once she entered the classroom, she would take over any tasks that needed to be done at her school in order to expand her knowledge. Knowing that she wanted to have a greater impact on student education, she decided to return to school a third time and earn her administration credential in order to become a principal.
“Be the best that you can be,” she told me.
Becoming a principal is what would eventually lead Ms. Kochevar to Dinuba, where she became the Principal at Roosevelt Elementary School. “Always be prepared,” she said, comparing her learning process to the “snowball effect.”
She gained more and more knowledge on the job. As time moved on, another opportunity presented itself. The position of Assistant Superintendent became available, so she applied
Melissa Rubio
mentorship.
In addition, she
communicates between the Superintendent and employees regarding school related matters. Along with her many other responsibilities, she really enjoys the human interaction aspect of her job and having a positive influence on Dinuba students.
Applications now being accepted for Ruiz 4 Kids Scholarships
Contributed
Ruiz 4 Kids Scholarship applications are available online for high school seniors who attend a high school located within a 35-mile radius of the Dinuba or Tulare, California Ruiz Foods facility. In addition, Ruiz 4 Kids is again welcoming scholarship applications from current community college students. Scholarship application deadline is Feb. 15, 2019. The application is available online at Ruiz4Kids.org.
“The pursuit of higher education for some can feel like an unachievable dream,” explained
Kimberly Goble Beck, Ruiz 4 Kids Scholarship Chairperson. “We look to help relieve some of the financial stress with our scholarships to that students can place their focus where it is needed most – their education.”
The Ruiz 4 Kids Scholarship Program is funded by the annual Louis F. Ruiz Golf Invitational.
In addition to the existing high school senior scholarship program, Ruiz 4 Kids is again offering a scholarship program specific to community college students who also are currently attending school within a 35-mile radius and who are planning to transfer to a four-year university.
Ruiz 4 Kids, the non-profit organization of Ruiz Food Products, Inc., is based in Dinuba.
The Scholarship Program is available to select high schools in specific geographic areas where Ruiz Foods has manufacturing facilities: Dinuba and Tulare in California, Denison, Texas and Florence, South Carolina.
According to Goble, Ruiz 4 Kids receives over 600 scholarship applications each year and review teams comprised of a couple dozen Ruiz Food team members volunteer to make the selections. In the past nine years, Ruiz 4 Kids has awarded over $4 million in scholarships to hundreds of
high school seniors committed to furthering their education.
High school applicants must have a 2.5 grade point average or higher to apply if they plan on attending a two-year college or vocational institution. Those who will be attending a four- year college or university must have a GPA of 3.0 or above. Community college students must have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or more at the community college level.
The learn more about the Ruiz 4 Kids Scholarship Program and access the guidelines and application, visit www.ruiz4kids.org.