Senior Spotlight: Alder Jakovac

Alder Jakovac is a senior attending Mendocino High School with a knack for horses and her chilled-out-but-never-slacked-a-day-in-her-life attitude. As for her freetime, Alder enjoys riding horses, playing Red Dead Redemption 2, making jewelry, and drawing (when she has time). This interview also took place in James Eastman’s room of the Community School, right after Fionna’s.

Alder’s favourite subject has been math because “some of you just get it, and it clicks, and you know how to do it.” Her least favourite subject was PE. She elaborated with “just because I’m not traditionally athletic.” I asked if there was any specific reason, and she answered no. “I’ve hated PE since, like, forever… I did it for three years, one year of PE and two years of ultimate.” Alder Jakovac’s ideal teacher is “someone who respects their students and has realistic expectations, and doesn’t blame the students for not understanding things.” She went on to point out Sos, Eastman, and Marshall Brown for meeting this criteria.

Alder’s biggest challenge thus far has been “a certain class that made me realize that some people have very unrealistic expectations.” At the same time, Alder also recommended that future high school students “please respect your teachers. Please. They’re just trying to help you, most of them.” The primary lesson school has taught her is that “you will not get along with everyone.”

Jakovac attends Mendocino High School and has all four years of her high school career. She explained this decision further: “When I was a freshman, I didn’t really see myself as the type that would be at the Comm School, like a touchy-feely sort of person, and then as time went on, I saw myself as more of a person that would be at the Comm School because I realized it didn’t have to be like that. Also my parents wouldn’t let me… I still have that argument with them.” For her next step in life, Alder has committed to Sonoma State, though if she gets off the waitlist at Davis she will immediately switch her sights there.

With our interview ending, I prompted her with this question: if a penguin walked through that door wearing a sombrero, what would he say and why is he here? Her answer: “He’s gonna say ‘I should be wearing a beanie’ because sombreros are for hot places!” When asked how many pennies would fit into James Eastman’s classroom, she responded, “a lot of pennies, like a billion pennies.”