When students stop by the front office, there’s a new face ready to help them out. As of Sept. 21 this year, Walnut High School welcomes Julianna Durkin as the school’s new Secretary I.
As Secretary I, Durkin makes calls, orders classroom supplies and helps make events possible. By doing these things, she assists the Instructional Deans, Administrative Assistant and Registrar.
“Miss Durkin is very helpful because she always handles all the questions from parents in the front office, and then she helps me do all my purchase requests for all the teachers,” Instructional Dean Luz Lozano said. “I’m very excited to have her as the secretary. She’s super friendly, personable and very helpful.”
In her previous jobs, Durkin handled demanding tasks ranging from filing court cases to processing legal documents, which developed skills that transferred well to her current position. Durkin hopes that, as Secretary I, students and staff will see her as someone approachable, reliable and eager to help.
“I’ve worked in sales and administrative support, so I think that all transfers here because I know how to talk to people,” Durkin said. “I’m doing a lot of ordering purchase requests for the teachers. That’s the best way I can [support students], by getting supplies [they] need. Or if anyone has questions, hopefully once everyone gets to know me I can help and answer any questions from students.”
As she adjusts to her new role at Walnut, Durkin has noticed differences between her old work environment and her current one such as the sense of community.
“I like the community aspect of this job. We do Spirit Week, Donut Fridays and even Halloween, which is really fun,” Durkin said. “This is exciting because I’m not used to working in a place where there are [fun] things going on. I was just at my desk all day, and we didn’t really talk. Everyone [here has] been very welcoming and nice, so I’m really grateful to be working with everyone on this campus.”
Durkin credits her past jobs for shaping her approach to work and the positive mindset she tries to have everyday.
“It’s easy when you get settled into a job to be grumpy or unhelpful. I really think that I work with enough people to know that everyone comes to work everyday,” Durkin said. “So we have to come in with a good mindset, a helpful mindset, like a team player mindset. So I think all my jobs have prepared me for something like this, to be a team player.”
Looking ahead, Durkin’s plan for the school year is to be as helpful as possible for her coworkers and any students, whether it be answering questions or being a helping hand for staff members.
“I think right now, my biggest goal is to find my own little routine and master the jobs that I’ve been given, so then I can learn other things and help in different ways. I want to feel confident in what I’m doing, get it on lock and then see if anyone else needs any other help,” Durkin said.
Outside of the office, Durkin is a very family-oriented person. With a husband and a large family, she always finds herself with her family and going on hikes with them. Her family is one of the main reasons she decided to take the job at Walnut.
“I’m huge on family. I also have a lot of family that work in schools, and they say, ‘You gotta go to the school districts, you get your holidays and it’s a really good environment,’” Durkin said. “I’m really glad I listened to them and I’m finally here. It would definitely explain a lot as to why I chose this job.”
