Skip To Main Content

Guidance: College & Career Center

A woman with dark hair and a smile is centered against a plain red background.
A happy golden retriever with its mouth open is in the foreground, with a blurred background.
A scruffy dog with a red bandana smiles at the camera with a blurred background.
A scruffy dog with a red bandana smiles at the camera with a blurred background.

Email: krubenstein@seq.org

Phone Ext: 77309    

Room: Administrative Building

Katrina Rubenstein: Guidance Counselor

I began my career in education in Teach for America as a teacher at Overfelt High School in East Side, San Jose. Working with my students at Overfelt, I knew I wanted to be a school counselor, and I earned my PPS credential from SJSU. As a school counselor, I am passionate about supporting students and helping them achieve their goals. I have learned a tremendous amount in my previous roles as a teacher at Overfelt and counselor at Boynton and Woodside, and I am so very happy to be a part of the Redwood family. Having lived across the map- Minnesota, Texas, Boston, and Argentina- California is truly home. At home with 3 dogs, a cow, several pigs, and my partner, I am kept quite busy, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

A man with a beard and dark hair in a maroon shirt smiles at the camera with a blurred green and brown background.

Email: acruz@seq.org

Phone Ext: 77304

Room: Administrative Building

Google voice/text:

(650)487-0804

Andrew Cruz: School Counselor & Interventions

Growing up in East Menlo Park, I understand many of the social, emotional, and cultural challenges our students face. With this understanding, I strive to approach my interactions with students and their families in a way that shows them that they are welcome and that they are safe to explore and grow as a student and future leader of our community. I believe in giving students unconditional positive regard and my 10 plus years of working in education has prepared me well to find creative ways to support our students.Through my various roles in education, I have realized that one of the factors that supports student’s ability to succeed in school and in life is helping them develop their emotional intelligence. I am grateful to have the opportunity to support my community and look forward to watching them grow into their power and lead us to a brighter future.

A man in a green shirt is in the foreground, with a framed certificate and shelves in the background.

Email: nfmenjivar@seq.org

Phone Ext: 77349           

Room: Administrative Building 

Nestor Menjivar: Guidance Information Specialist

My career in education began at Redwood High School in 2013 as an Instructional Associate in the Math Department. The following year I transitioned to the front office and I now have moved on to the Guidance Department. I have lived in our community for the past 30 years when I arrived from El Salvador as an adolescent. I graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School and Cañada College with a degree in General Studies: Social Science. I enjoy getting to know our students and I value the role we, as adults, play in guiding our students to be successful in life. The most rewarding part of my job is running into former students in the community and thanking me for being there for them. It brings me great joy to see them doing well.

A young woman with dark hair and a bright smile is in the foreground, with a blurred outdoor gathering in the background.
A happy pit bull with a blue-gray coat and white chest pants sits on green grass, with a blurred background of more grass and sunlight.

Email: jnaranjo@seq.org

Phone Ext: 77417 

Room: 15

Jacqueline Naranjo: College and Career Information Specialist

Serving the community that helped raise me has been extremely rewarding. As a result, I can personally relate and understand our students and the struggles they face. This allows them to feel a sense of belonging. This is especially important for our students who have felt like nobody understands them. I take pride in my ability to connect with our students because building a rapport with them will increase the chances of their success here with us and in life. I graduated from our district, attended a local private college, and have 5 plus years of experience in education. Every experience has prepared me for this position and to best serve our students. With all the experience I’ve gained I have the skills that are necessary to help our students plan for their future. Here at RHS you can help make a difference one student at a time, as long as you are intentional and empathetic!

A man wearing a San Francisco Giants baseball cap smiles in the foreground, with blurred green foliage and purple flowers in the background.

Email: pandrade@seq.org

Phone Ext: 77313

Room: 12A

Pedro Andrade: Community Liaison

Hello all! My name is Pedro and I am the community liaison for Redwood High School. I’m very ecstatic to be here, and looking forward to helping in any way possible. I look forward to making a positive connection with all our students and parents. I have walked many routes in my life from gaining education to just life experience. My educational background ranges from 5 AA degrees from administration of justice to medical assistant. I am also a recent CSU Chico graduate with a bachelor's degree in Sociology. I’m very proud to say that I’m born, and raised in Redwood City. In my free time you can find me under a car hood working on my classic cars from engine work to painting them. You can also spot me at junkyards pulling away unique vintage car parts. Even though it is not a hobby I really enjoy roofing on weekends alongside my father, and our roofing buddies. I also enjoy working on projects around the house, and recently enjoying the yard while listening to the radio. Sometimes you can find me playing with my god children, nieces, and nephews who keep me very busy. If I’m not busy at all I am playing Call of Duty online at nights, or binge watching documentaries about almost anything.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS 


College Readiness

 

This course invites students to explore college as one of their post-secondary options. In this class, students will learn terminology and concepts to better prepare them for the otherwise foreign-seeming world of college, and they will explore the many opportunities available to them in a college environment, including specialized classes and programs to help them succeed once they're there. Among other things, they will learn how to navigate relevant websites to find the information they need, develop a practice community college schedule, and familiarize themselves with the wide variety of majors and degrees available at different post-secondary institutions.

 

Work Experience