Jacqueline Aviña Espinoza ~ My name is Jacqueline Aviña Espinoza and I graduated from Calistoga Jr./Sr. High School in 2016. Following high school, I continued my education at Sacramento State. In May of 2020, I graduated with a BA in Child Development with a concentration in Social and Community Settings and a minor in Counseling. I am currently working as a Paraprofessional for the Special Education program at Calistoga Jr./Sr. High School and am in the process of applying to a graduate program. Mentoring is so valuable as it creates a strong support network for an individual. I have been challenged by my mentors in a way that has allowed me to grow academically, professionally, and personally.
Lucia Tovar~ My name is Lucia Tovar. I graduated from CJSHS in 2017 and attended the University of California, Merced. I graduated from UC Merced in 2021, where I received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Natural Science Education. During my time as an undergraduate, I was enrolled in the CalTeach program where I mentored students in a middle school science class. I also became a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, where I served as their Public Relations Chairman. Currently, I am enrolled in a Teacher Preparation Program at UC Merced, where I will obtain my single subject biological sciences teaching credential in hopes of becoming a High school science teacher. To me, a mentor is someone who pushes you outside of your comfort zone and believes in you. During my time in CJSHS, I was pushed to realize my own potential and I would not have gotten this far if it wasn’t for everyone who believed in me. As a mentor, I hope to be that driving force that encourages students to go out and reach their own academic success.
Maria DiGiulio ~ A very long time ago, I graduated with a BA in Philosophy. During my college years I worked in restaurant kitchens to pay my way through school. Afterwards, needing to make money and realizing that cooking was more interesting to me than continuing in university studies, I kept cooking. A few years later, I attended culinary school, got an associates degree and...continued to cook! Eventually, I married and had a baby. After our son began kindergarten at CES, I began an after school gardening program on the campus as a volunteer. From then on I volunteered within the CJUSD district in a variety of ways: CHS art docent for 20 years; CES cooking class teacher; CJSHS tutor in the AVID program; CJUSD volunteer establishing a Calistoga Promise program for all students in the district; and a variety of other non-paid jobs that helped children. Through the mentorship program, I hope to continue to help students reach their personal, educational goals.
Anny Castro Ayala~ Hi! My name is Anny, I graduated from Calistoga Junior/Senior High School in 2022. I am currently attending the University of California, Davis. I am a first-generation Pre-Med Student, majoring in Genetics and Genomics. I am interested in attending Medical School after I finish my Bachelor's Degree. During my recent High School years I was a part of CLARA, The Engineering Club, Interact, and S Club. Which were all very helpful and a fun experience. They allowed me to be more involved in School and learn about a variety of different things. I find mentoring to be very important in High School and more as a College Student as mentors can help guide you and give you suggestions based on their knowledge, or they’ll direct you to someone that can help you. I hope to be able to help others grow as they move on to further their education.
Kevin Eisenberg ~ I grew up in Los Angeles and mostly enjoyed school. For college I wanted something different from LA and chose UC Santa Cruz, definitely not LA. In Santa Cruz I tried to have as many new experiences as possible including student government and lots of involvement in theater. College was a fabulous experience, in some ways the absolute best of my life. I think that college is where I finally grew up. After getting my BA I went to UCLA for graduate school in education then began a teaching career in South Central LA. Along the way I got married and my wife and I will be celebrating our 45th anniversary in September. Not one to stay stationary I went to Cal State Dominguez Hills to get a masters degree in educational administration and became a school principal. We had a couple of kids and decided to move on and I became Principal of Calistoga Elementary School. Thirteen years later I was asked to be the principal of Calistoga Junior/Senior High School. I really enjoyed dropping into all the different classes to see what was being taught and doing lunch supervision and talking with all the students. I also did a lot of college mentoring and my final two years as principal at CHS 60% of seniors were accepted at four year universities. I finished my career with a final two years of teaching and retired. I used the time well, hiking, biking, reading, and playing with technology. I am also very involved with the Rotary Club. Rotary is devoted to doing good in our community and the world. Through Rotary I was able to visit every continent except Antarctica. As a Rotarian I am involved in youth service and am an advisor for the Calistoga High School Interact Club. Now I am entering a new stage of life with my successful run for Calistoga City Council.
Craig Garber~ My name is Craig Garber. I am California born and raised and attended high school in Lafayette, CA. Following high school, I attended the University of Chicago and graduated with an AB degree in the Humanities. I subsequently attended the University of California, Berkeley and obtained an MBA degree.
In my career I served a wide range of financial roles within companies. I have served as a Financial Analyst, Manager, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Most of my career was spent working for technology companies, but I also was CFO for LifeMoves, a nonprofit serving the homeless population in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, for 5 years.
I have experience as a Mentor. I worked with the AVID class at Los Altos HS for 4 years mentoring Seniors through the college application. I also worked with a nonprofit called Mountain View Los Altos Scholars and mentored a young man through his time at San Jose State University. The college experience is a rich one with many challenges and I am happy to provide some insight to young people facing those challenges.