Meet Derek

With his family’s support and his coach as co-pilot, one learner takes off down a new career path

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Derek Castillo was in a bit of a rut. He liked his job working for a security company at the airport in San Bernardino, California, but he couldn’t shake the sense that this was not the end of his professional journey. “I was in the same job, doing the same thing over and over, and I kept thinking, I need to return back to school to help myself accomplish more goals and earn a better income.” 

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A laudable idea, but with two young children to care for and a mother who needed some financial assistance, Derek knew it would be a challenge. However, after weighing his options, he realized his family factored largely in his decision to re-enroll. “For my kids, my mom… mostly my kids — I wanted to show them that anything is possible, that you could do it despite the obstacles. My family inspired me to go back to school again. I felt as if I needed to accomplish something for them.”

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With that motivation, Derek re-enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College to finish what he started years earlier and earn his associate’s degree. As part of the school’s student support services, they offer success coaching through InsideTrack for new and re-enrolled students through a grant-funded program called CA Reconnect. This was how Derek got paired with InsideTrack success coach Jaima Mavity. “She’s been there since the beginning of my journey back to school,” Derek explains. “When I first started, not long after I first signed up, she texted me and I was like ‘Who is this?’ and she was like ‘I’m your coach. You can text me about anything school-related, anything you may need help with,’ and I was like ‘Cool!’ We went from there and she’s been helping me ever since.”

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Success coaches like Jaima act as a guide and an advocate — someone in the student’s corner who can help them navigate re-enrollment challenges and obstacles, along with other day-to-day school concerns, like how to seek help from a professor or connect to campus resources. For Derek, Jaima has played an invaluable role. “She gives me the guidance that I needed but couldn’t find on my own. Having a coach helps me a lot. In life, sometimes you don’t have that guidance from other people. I only grew up with my mom. My dad died when I was two, so it’s been hard not having him in our life.”

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The power of family support

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Along with inspiring him to return to school, Derek’s family members play another important role in his life: his cheerleaders. “My oldest sister impacts me a lot,” Derek says. “She encourages me to keep going, to keep at it, even when I think I can’t. She reminds me that we learn from our mistakes.” His other older sister, brother and mother also rally around him, reminding him to push through the challenges and stay the course. Another person cheering for him is his kids’ mom. “She says, ‘You can do it. You got this. Don’t ever think you can’t do it.'” So far, this unconditional support, working hand-in-hand with his coaching sessions, has succeeded in keeping Derek on track. 

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For his children and his younger brother, he also wants to be a good role model and lead by example. Derek reminds them not to give up, even when things get difficult. This is something his daughter in particular needs to hear. “My daughter, she’s just like me. She tells me that she hates school, doesn’t like reading, wants to stay home every day. I’m like ‘No, you have to go to school. You have to learn to do things. You have to learn to read.’” Along with that, he also reminds his kids to think about the activities they enjoy — like drawing and gaming — in terms of future classes or career options. “Find yourself a talent or something you like to do and just go for it.” His other advice to them? “Don’t say it’s hard. Just say it’s difficult. You can overcome difficult. If it’s hard, you’re not ever going to overcome that.”

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Derek’s goals taking flight

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With his family-based inspiration and coaching support firmly in place, Derek is steadily marching toward degree completion. “It feels good,” he says. “Now that I’m in school, I’m focused and I am determined to pass my classes and keep moving forward. I took these classes to get the engine going, get the gears going, and I feel as if I’m starting to move forward in life.”

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“When I finally finish my degree, it will mean so much to me that I can look in the mirror and say that I actually did it, that I overcame the difficult obstacles, which I thought I couldn’t do.”

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Speaking of gears and engines, Derek’s post-graduation plans include attending a trade school to transition into a career focused on engineering or “something with mechanics, like aerodynamics.” His fascination with aviation began when he was a little boy. “I would always look at the sky and think that’s going to be me in the plane one day. Or fixing the plane.” The advice he gives himself as he thinks about his future is the same as he would give his past self. “Don’t stop. Keep going. If you keep going, you’ll accomplish what you want.”

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Through his close relationship with Coach Jaima, Derek has the tools he needs to reach the goals he’s set for himself. Beyond the practical skills they’ve been working on, he’s gained something arguably more valuable through coaching: belief in himself and his ability to succeed. His coach helped empower him to believe that he would be able to handle any obstacle that came his way. “When I think about the work I’ve done with Jaima, I feel that I could overcome anything and do things on my own. That gives me belief in myself as well.”

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“It feels great to have a coach. It helps me a lot. I think everybody should have a coach. The world would run more smoothly if everyone had a coach!”