The first time I heard Iz, she was yelling at everyone to get to class in the hallways. I thought she was a very intense person at first, but I got to know her this year.
Isabel Fructuoso, also known as Iz, is a funny, caring, and sweet person. If you see her in the halls, she’ll likely be sporting a t-shirt and shorts. Sometimes you’ll see her wearing vintage shirts of her favorite rappers.
Iz is a security guard at Mission High School. She’s been at Mission High for 17 years, but she is much more than a security guard here. She’s part of the school’s soul. All the students love her, even if we sometimes give her a hard time. She just wants the best for the students.
Iz was born in the Philippines, but she was raised in San Francisco. She enjoys living in San Francisco because she likes the diversity of it. She likes that there’s all kinds of ethnicities in San Francisco, and how people can be who they are.
Iz was a student here at Mission High, and she graduated from here. Iz talked about how difficult it was for people to find resources to go to college back when she was a student.
“If you wanted to go to college, you would have to find your resources on your own.” Iz now believes that students have no excuse to not go to college because of the resources we have at Mission High.
Iz was working at a middle school before coming to Mission High. The middle school closed down, and a staff member at Mission contacted her and asked her to work at Mission. She has now been a part of the Mission Bears Community since 2006.
Staff members have memories of Iz yelling at students (in a positive way) to get to class. Or if a student is having a bad day and they need someone to talk to, Iz is always there. Mr. Stevenson, a teacher at Mission, says “Iz is also a great worker. She is very helpful. I will also say she is dedicated to the community, and a trusted friend.”
