The first people we see when we enter school, and the last people we see when we leave school are our security guards. Seeing them as individuals is not something most students take time to do. Behind their formidable presence, students may be surprised to learn new things when they get to know them.

Since joining the Brahma family in 1996, John Rodriguez has been providing a safe learning environment for the students, all the while, making sure students have proper passes to leave early and preventing any outsiders from getting into school.

On weekdays, Rodriguez works at Diamond Bar High School, but on the weekends, Rodriguez pursues his favorite hobby, DJing.

“I started DJing when I was in high school— I always had an interest in DJing as a young kid. I wanted DJing to be my full time profession, but my wife didn’t like me being out every weekend at parties, so I generally DJ about two times a month,” Rodriguez said.

Back in 1992, Rodriguez worked for the Warner Brothers animation TV department. He worked on TV programs like Looney Tunes and met a few celebrities along the way. Because of the long, tiring hours at the recording studios, Rodriguez’s wife felt it was essential for him to find a job closer to home, so he could spend more time with their children.

“I don’t have a background in security— [this] is actually the first job I ever had in security. I’m very happy to be working [at DBHS] because I get to interact with students and other staff members. It’s definitely a fun place to be,” Rodriguez said.

Currently, the security guards hold a significant responsibility for the school.

“All security guards are in a special project called fire watch. [DBHS’s] fire alarm system is not working, so the school has us working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We do take turns doing it, but there’s always somebody on campus searching for potential fires,” Rodriguez explains.

Despite having a long-awaited dream of being a full-time DJ, Rodriguez feels blessed to be working with his co-workers and students.

“[DJing] is a paying job. I can make more money as a part-time DJ than working here at DBHS, but I choose to be here for the students,” Rodriguez said.