Three prominent members of the community visited SJHHS on Friday October 27 as principals for a day.

Mayor Kerry Ferguson, project manager Mike Balsamo, and Disney imagineer David Azcarraga toured with principal Jennifer Smalley to give them a feel for the SJHHS community. They visited the theater, ASB, yearbook, newspaper, the virtual enterprise lab, and Marie Finman’s Spanish II class.

Guests are invited every year to SJHHS as principals for a day, and this year’s honorary principals shared with The Express information from their careers and life experiences.

As mayor of San Juan Capistrano, Ferguson works for the constituents. She first became interested in the mayoral position in a fight to save a historic structure which was threatened by demolishment. Now, she works for the constituents, sits and studies her agendas, and “[tries] to learn as much as she possibly can about issues so that when there is a meeting [she] is prepared to discuss it diligently.”

Balsamo, the project manager, got into the construction field after watching a master planned community develop in Irvine as a kid. This was unprecedented at the time. He majored in political science and environmental studies in UC Irvine, but his interests always lay within the construction. Today, his field is complicated by the need for government approvals, school district requirements, and access to public agencies, so most of his days are spent in meetings.

Azcarraga, the imagineer, is employed by Disney. He runs the “conceptual laboratory” that works on designing all the lands, even internationally. His team helped to design the newest park in Shanghai last year. Now, he is focusing on the new “Star Wars Lands” that are to open in Anaheim and Florida in 2019. When asked about details, Azcarraga said, “I think that what’s even more cool is that it’s gonna be a completely immersive place so that if you’re a Star Wars fan you’ll be able to go there and feel like you’re in a different galaxy, and that’s the intention.”

When asked if they had any advice for students at SJHHS, all three had a lot of knowledge to share. Balsamo, whose job relies heavily on networking, said, “Give everyone your focus when you can. It definitely makes a difference.”

Ferguson agreed, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face interaction. She said, “When you are trying to get help from someone, five minutes in person with that individual is worth 29,000 texts.”

Ethan Clarke, Juan Galindo, Katie Brubaker, and Makayla Keelin contributed to this story.