Belle Olivas: Graduated 1979

What was your most memorable high school moment?

Going to [the] Sadie Hawkins [dance] because we piled up in a friend of ours truck and we had hay in the back. It rained like crazy [during the dance] so no one wanted to go in the back. Because of that, we piled, like, 14 people in the back of the truck. It was crazy, but it was fun. Of course, this was back when there were no [road] rules.

What kind of person were you?

I was involved in all of the major groups, the popular kids, and the smart kids. I couldn’t figure out who I was — I was everything. I hung out with everyone.

How did high school impact you?

It’s a good time to step into a bigger school and learn diversities of different groups of people. It laid the foundation for being able to explore different career choices.

What was world life like when you were in high school?

I was so lost in my school and life that nothing really stands out.

Are you doing what you thought you would be when you graduated?

No. I was going to go to med school and didn’t get in. Looking back, I got a degree in biomedical engineering; my backup plan was to be an engineer. I had to leave the state to continue in that career but I didn’t want to, so I stayed and found that my true passion was working with numbers and became a bookkeeper for 21 years and now I am an accountant.

What was SFHS campus/school like?

Where the teacher parking lot is now there were portables because A building didn’t exist. There were not enough buildings and too many students. ROTC was the cafeteria. And the admin. building was where the library is now and vice versa.

If you could tell your high school self one thing what would it be?

The best is yet to come.

Do you have any advice for people in high school now?

You think you know it all, but you have no clue. Don’t take yourself so seriously and enjoy the ride because it passes way too quickly. Know that nothing is too grand a problem.