By Justin Hsieh, News Editor
Carina Assayed is a Baron for life.
As an FVHS student, she would participate in every dress day, cheer at every assembly and join the loud crowd at every home game. As a long-term substitute teacher at FVHS, she would stay at night to decorate her classroom wall to wall at the beginning of each unit. Now, as an English teacher and Associated Student Body (ASB) advisor, she is bringing that same energy, spirit and passion back to FVHS, and is excited as ever to make FVHS the best place it can be.
“Almost immediately when I met her, I felt Ms. Assayed’s positive energy,” said ASB member junior Tara Lam. “She was smiling from ear to ear and it was obvious she possessed a strong passion for FVHS.”
Assayed graduated from FVHS in the class of 2013. After getting her associate’s degree for transfer from Orange Coast College, she attended California State University, Long Beach and graduated in the top 10% of her class with a bachelor’s degree in English education. She earned her teaching credential in January 2019, taught at FVHS as a long-term substitute teacher in the spring of 2019 and soon after got her dream job as an FVHS English teacher and applied for the open position of ASB advisor.
“The first time I saw Ms. Assayed, she was in the office wearing one of our cardigans for her job interview,” said ASB Vice President senior Caitlyn Tran. “She was decked out in all gold and blue Baron gear for her interview, and from that initial meeting I knew she would get the job.”
Assayed did get the job, and the first thing she did when she met her ASB students was to give all of them hugs. Since then, she has brought a new spirit of family and personal connection—for which all of her students love her.
When Assayed speaks, her enthusiasm is obvious. Her eyes light up when she shares her goals for FVHS. When one of her students walks into the room, she instantly breaks into a wide smile and excitedly greets them by name. When she describes her students, she leans forward, and her voice resonates with sincerity and emotion. This natural warmth is one of the reasons why her students admire her as much as she does them.
“Ms. Assayed is absolutely amazing,” said ASB member junior Diana Truong. “She is always there to support all of ASB. She is so considerate of others, but she also knows when it’s time to give constructive criticism. I couldn’t have asked for a better advisor.”
Not only has she brought spirit, Assayed has also given ASB a new level of organization and efficiency.
“Ms. Assayed believes in efficiency and preparation. ASB has been more prepared than ever and I feel less stressed,” said Lam. “Though she emphasizes these things, Ms. Assayed prioritizes our health and well-being over all. After Homecoming Week, one of the most demanding weeks ASB had to face, she gave us a talk about how much she loves us and wants us to rest and take care of ourselves. She always knows what to say.”
Assayed hopes to accomplish several goals with ASB this year.
“We have so many big goals,” said Assayed. “One major goal this year is to have every single assembly be an interactive experience for everyone. So I know my assemblies commission is kicking butt doing that, and that’s the number one major goal. We’re also incorporating Baron house points, kind of like Hogwarts house points – a grade-level competition all year round, with various ways to earn points – so that way it creates community among your class, that’s the goal there.”
In addition to assemblies and house points, Assayed wants to help support FVHS staff and re-emphasize the loud crowd that she was so proud of when she was a student.
“We want our ASB students to strengthen their connections to staff in ways that we can support them, because our staff supports us so much in ASB,” said Assayed. “So we have liaison roles and they can request posters, digital flyers, anything that we can do to help what’s happening in their classes or their clubs… And we want to bring back the loud crowd—because when I was a student here, it was our thing, it was really cool; so we’re definitely working on it and we’ve already had such success with the first home game.”
All of her goals go back to one central ideal that she has for FVHS.
“[My biggest idea is] connectedness. Absolutely,” said Assayed. “Just trying to find a way to build a community and a family, that is what I want – so that every student feels like they are seen and represented. Every staff member feels like they’re heard and represented. Finding ways to try and get everyone to feel like school is not that awful to come to, and building a culture and a community that people feel that they are a part of.”
Not only is Assayed dedicated to creating a connected and inclusive student body, she is also deeply committed to her individual students. Assayed says she learns something from her students every day, and that they are the reason she comes to school every day and the reason she is so passionate about her job. She is especially devoted to her ASB students, who she admires for their selflessness and dedication.
“People don’t realize how much they do and how much they sacrifice to put on events for this school and make things happen for this school,” said Assayed. “And they don’t ask for anything in return—they genuinely reap the benefits of seeing people happy, seeing people excited. And that’s insane, that’s not something that’s super natural in high school students this age. But these kids are so special.”
Assayed credits her passion for teaching and advising to her own experiences as a student, from elementary school to FVHS.
“When I was young I looked up to my teachers a lot,” said Assayed. “School was always my safe place and my teachers were always the models of exemplary behavior and I really found comfort in them. So I thought, how awesome would it be if I could one day be that for a student – because I knew that I had a lot of teachers that were instrumental in my childhood and teenage years.”
To students looking for the same comfort and passion that Assayed found in school, she has a simple message.
“Put yourself out there and just try,” said Assayed. “No one’s going to judge you for being spirited – so put yourself out there, get involved. That’s the way you make these four years memorable. Don’t cheat yourself out of an experience because you’re afraid of what others might think of you. Go out there and do what you want to do, because at the end of the day you need to worry about your happiness – and getting involved in clubs or ASB or anything else, it can truly change your life. It changed mine, so I can’t even imagine what it might do for students. So do it. That’s my advice.”
Carina Assayed is a Baron for life.
