Like many other young families, my wife, Sara, and I would love the opportunity to one day raise our children in the same community and schools we grew up in. This can help foster a greater sense of community and purpose. Veronica Rosella and her partner, Jonathan, are raising their daughter in Chino Hills, where she has gone to some of the same schools they attended. As a result, they have a unique perspective on how educational, social, and societal factors have changed since they attended Chino Valley Unified School District.
Veronica attended Hidden Trails Elementary, Canyon Hills Jr. High, and Ayala High School. She remembers her teachers involved in the community and engaged with the families of their students. One Ayala teacher in particular, Mr. Jack Higgins (now retired), was instrumental to Veronica’s success. She remembers how his patience, kindness, and compassion made a difference in her life and the lives of many other students.
Veronica earned her Bachelor’s degree from CSU Channel Islands, where she majored in psychology. Although Veronica lived outside of Chino Valley for a time, she decided she wouldn’t want to raise a child anywhere else. Growing up, Veronica says she took for granted how diverse and welcoming our community is compared to other cities she’s lived in. Today, she’s a project administrator for a civil engineering firm. She loves to attend her daughter’s band events at Chino Hills High — who says Bulldogs and Huskies can’t get along?
Veronica credits her time at CVUSD and the diverse friends she grew up with as being a foundation in how culturally informed and open-minded she is today. However, as a mother, Veronica sees a lot more violence and intolerance than she remembers as a student. She sees children who don’t feel safe being their authentic selves in front of each other and even in front of some faculty members. Veronica and Jonathan are both concerned about the recently passed “parental notification” policy and feel that school should be a safe space for children who aren’t safe at home, regardless of other students’ and faculty members’ personal beliefs.
“Not only does Bobby support making our schools a safe space for kids again, he lives in the world of technology,” Veronica said. “As a household with two working parents, it is so hard to keep up with all the communications coming out of the schools. It feels like the schools never fully learned how to properly use the technology available to them, so electronic communication is disorganized and inefficient. It makes it nearly impossible to communicate with some of my child’s teachers without taking a day off of work! Bobby has expertise and is solution-oriented to solve these day-to-day problems.”
Both Veronica and Jonathan are hardworking parents who care deeply about their daughter, their community, and the safety of all students. I am so appreciative of their support for my candidacy for school board and hope to earn the support of more families and former CVUSD alum who are ready for a new generation of leadership that is committed to a brighter future where all children can thrive, feel safe, and chart their own path to success. 💙💚🤍
Have a story of your experiences at CVUSD that you’d like to share? Fill out our alumni questionnaire and we’ll be in touch: https://bobbyomari.com/alumni
