The Willow Glen High School junior is the Metropolitan Education District Governing Board's new alternate student representative for the 2004­05 school year.

Viviana first heard about the position through her law enforcement instructor, Rico Sciaky. Realizing a spot on the board would be a good way to strengthen her public speaking skills and contribute to CCOC, Viviana submitted her application.

In a no-nonsense police manner, Sciaky described Viviana by saying, "She's a really good kid."

Like other juniors and seniors in his half-day law enforcement class, Sciaky has had the pleasure of seeing Viviana transform from a typical 16-year-old to a well-mannered and responsible young adult, he said.

In fact, it's been Sciaky's tutelage that has inspired Viviana to serve her student community. "He teaches a lot about leadership and setting examples for other people," Viviana said.

Leadership, along with responsibility and reliability, are the qualities MetroED looks for when selecting a student representative, MetroED spokeswoman Joyce Monda said.

In applying for a seat on the board, Viviana interviewed with MetroED Superintendent Tim Hallett, who picked her as the alternate for student representative Fabianne Theodule of Branham High School. On the days Fabianne cannot attend, Viviana will lead the board's pledge of allegiance and discuss student activities and fundraisers at meetings.

The desire to help is something that is deep-rooted in Viviana, stemming from her childhood dreams of working in law enforcement. She currently splits her time between schools, taking three core classes at Willow Glen High School in addition to her law enforcement class at CCOC. When she graduates, Viviana would like to work as a law enforcement agent for the state but needs two years of policing experience to qualify, she said.

"I want to be able to work with people and be able to help people," she said. "Separate the good from the bad."

Sciaky said he's pleased Viviana is serving on the board. "The students are why we have a board, so they must have representation."

The governing board oversees the district's fiscal health and organizes its programs and curriculum, including CCOC's career training programs for high school and adult students.

The board is made up of six members, each representing the school districts that are part of MetroED, which includes the San Jose Unified School District. Hallett selects a student representative and an alternate every year who report to the board at each monthly meeting. These youth speak on behalf of CCOC's entire student population of 25,000.