When it comes to some of her past and current life choices, campus supervisor Jennifer Davila points to a scene from the 1940 Disney movie, “Pinocchio.”

Near the beginning of the animated Disney classic, a cricket named Jiminy sings to the wooden puppet a song titled, “Give a Little Whistle.”

By the middle stanzas of the lyrics, Pinocchio’s sidekick repeats a line mentioned earlier from a Blue Fairy, who gives life to Pinocchio: “Always let your conscience be your guide.”

“Pinocchio has been my all-time favorite Disney movie, and in the movie, Jiminy Cricket sort of guides Pinocchio and makes sure he does the right things,” Davila said. “That relates to me because I’m a mom, and I need to guide my children in the right direction.”

In addition, the campus supervisor said the Jiminy Cricket in her life was her siblings.

“I’m influenced by my siblings a lot, like working at Disney and now,” said Davila, the youngest of six — three sisters and three brothers — siblings. “They also influenced me to get into LAPD [Los Angeles Police Department], and I thought being a police officer would be a nice career to pursue as it also involves helping the community.” 

Upon getting hired as a campus supervisor here in March 2024, she started working part-time on Monday, April 8, 2024; however, she changed to full-time on Friday, Sept. 13, because she wanted more hours and involvement. She works with three other campus supervisors, with Randy Avalos as her lead. 

“I can see the dedication of the students and faculty,” said Davila, who can often be spotted on campus wearing a gray, collared shirt with the words, “CAMPUS SUPERVISOR,” printed on the back. “Like I saw all the artworks, the dance, theater performances, and just by talking to the students, I can tell everyone here is motivated.” 

Although this job is different from law enforcement in that she doesn’t possess any firearms or other weapons, her responsibilities are similar: to ensure that students are following school rules like using the 5-Star app to obtain their digital restroom hall passes and remaining safe.

“I really want to make sure that kids are following the dress code rules and getting to class on time,” the campus supervisor said. “It’s a big thing here, and a lot of it has to do with the kids taking advantage of the 5-Star app.” 

The so-called service-with-a-smile approach has also made an impression among some of the students.

“One time, she asked me to pull up the hall passes on my phone because a few students were caught not using the 5-Star app,” sophomore Aziza Mojarro said. “I noticed that she was really dedicated to her job, and I respect her a lot for that.” 

Senior Anthony Mitri said Davila has been efficient in all that she does here.

“I saw her a couple of times supervising in front of the bathrooms,” Mitri said. “I thought it was nice how she’s trying her best to maintain a good environment for all students.” 

Principal Craig Weinreich also complimented Davila for her approachable personality and hard work. 

“She’s somebody that seems very friendly and nice but does keep an eye out on what’s going on,” Weinreich said. “[She] seems to have connected really well with our students.”

BALANCING ACT

Not many students and staff know that Davila also has to make ends meet by working on the weekends as a Starbucks barista from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. at Disneyland. Working two jobs helps her pay the bills as a mom and also adds to her budget whenever she has to spend money on materials or books studying as an administration of justice major at Fullerton College.

“Just like how I make sure to keep the whole campus safe and let students know that they are being heard for whatever they need, I do the same at Disneyland,” she said. 

Davila said she interacts with her customers while displaying the 5 Key protocols: safety, courtesy, inclusion, show and efficiency. It was initially called the “Four Keys,” and the fifth key, “inclusion,” was added in 2020. She said Disneyland employees are taught to follow the customer protocols when they first get hired.

Originally, she said she worked at a Starbucks store in Fullerton in 2022. However, her second oldest sister, who was hired at Disneyland in April 2023 as a food and beverage worker at California Adventure Park, encouraged her to apply. 

“I never imagined myself working at Disney, especially since I always loved Disney and thought of it as something that’s out of my reach,” Davila said. “But after my sister brought it up, I thought it was worth giving it a shot.”

In June 2023, she said she went to an annual job fair held by Disney at its resort and filled out its online application. During her interview, she said she mentioned her past work experience as a barista, which ultimately allowed her to secure her position.

For an avid Disney fan, she said it was incredible for her to work at the place that many call “the happiest place on Earth.”

“I’ve watched so many Disney movies as a child, and I still do with my children,” Davila said. “Being able to work at Disneyland is an honor and a privilege for me.”

As the nickname suggests, Disneyland helped the campus supervisor work with all different kinds of people in a fast-paced environment while keeping up a happy face.

“You smile a lot at Disneyland,” the Starbucks barista said. “That definitely helped me approach things with a better mindset, and I can interact with students with more joy.” 

SH ORIGIN STORY

In 2022, Davila said she started attending Victor Valley College in Victorville in San Bernardino County, majoring in the administration of justice; a year later, she transferred to Fullerton College with the same major. 

While she was attending the former, she said she met a classmate in a law enforcement class who worked in the Victor Valley Union High School District at Larrea Middle School as a campus supervisor. Her classmate informed her about job offerings in the district schools.

“When she told me about the job offerings, I was immediately interested because I wanted a job, but also because I thought working at schools would help me interact with a variety of people,” Davila said. 

Upon receiving information about job openings, Davila researched schools near her and started working at Orange High School as the campus safety officer in November 2023. 

While working there, Davila said her time there taught her a lot of skills necessary to work as a campus supervisor. 

“I learned how to be a mentor and understand the life of a teenager,” she said. “I guess I could say it also helped me confront students because I realized I shouldn’t take negative comments from a student or staff seriously if I did nothing wrong.”

She recalls a time at Orange when she told a group of students skipping school to go back to class, and they insulted her. 

“They called me by some offensive names and told me to stop acting like their mom,” the campus supervisor said. “But those comments, I don’t take it personally because, at the end of the day, kids will just be kids.” 

However, all campus safety officers at Orange must be on a six-month probationary period after they get hired and must be evaluated to see if they suit the position, Davila said. While she was on hers, she searched for other job openings in other districts because she wanted to look for a school closer to her home in Fullerton. 

That’s how she ended up applying to Sonora, Buena Park and Sunny Hills high schools last year. 

Davila said she decided to come to Sunny Hills because the school responded the fastest, within a week after she applied and did her interview.

It was the previous assistant principal Peter Karevedas who called her back just one week after her interview. 

“I was a little surprised I got a call back so early,” she said. “Overall, I was glad to move to a work location closer to home.”

She also said that her time at Sunny Hills was more favorable compared to her experience at Orange High School.

“It’s mostly because I had a difficult time going back and forth from Orange to my home, so I related that to my experience there,” Davila said. “But the students at Sunny also seem a lot more approachable; maybe it’s because I gained more experience on how to interact with students throughout the years.”

NEW GOALS  

Once she earns her associate’s degree at Fullerton College next year, she said she plans to apply to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for training as it is the closest to her home. 

That’s a similar path her older siblings had taken. 

Her eldest brother attended the LAPD Academy 15 years ago. However, Davila said he had to quit two weeks before he graduated because of personal reasons. 

Her eldest sister also attempted to pursue a career as a sheriff, but she quit as she failed to get into the Riverside Police Department in 2020. Davila said she was inspired by her siblings to also get into LAPD. 

The campus supervisor said each job taught her something new.

“At Disney, I learned how to treat people with a positive attitude and also learned to smile even when I feel down,” she said. “At Orange and Sunny Hills, I learned how to interact with a lot of people; these ‘skills’ will definitely help me become a better person and benefit me in my career to become a police officer.” 

Thinking about her future, Davila said she feels anxious but plans to take it slow in her pursuit of becoming a first responder, especially since she’s working at not just one, but two happiest places on Earth.  

“I love my job right now, and I’m happy where I’m at,” she said. “I mean I can’t deny I have to take in naps here and there during school hours, but I love everything I do because that includes me helping others.”