Darsi Bukaty Bakker '77

Darsi Bukaty Bakker '77 (right) with her daughter, Mandy

What was the best part of your experience as a student at BMHS?

I am one of those nerds who actually loved high school!  The best part of BMHS is that it prepared me not only to go to college, but to excel.  The transition from high school to college is not always easy, but BMHS academically prepared me to do well.  But honestly, the best part of high school was going to all the baseball games and working on homecoming floats with my BFF who is still a really good friend 45 years later  (Teri Fournier Joseph). 

What is one of your favorite memories as a student? 

Physics was offered for the first time at BMHS during my tenure and I was the only girl in the class.  I also played basketball all four years and have a lot of good memories associated with playing a team sport.

Who were your favorite teachers?

Ms. Quijano, my AP History teacher, because she demanded a lot; she helped develop my research skills, and I got a 4/5 on the AP History exam because of her (which I’m still proud of decades later – lol)

Mr. Tamburrino, my Sports in Literature teacher, because he was just the coolest (and funniest) teacher ever and everyone loved him. 

Father Max (Trig) and Sister Elizabeth (German) were also wonderful.

4. Life after high school:

After BMHS, I earned my B.S. in Environmental Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and graduate work in Geography at Texas A&M University. I started out of college as a legal secretary at a law firm in Beverly Hills, worked professional administrative positions at Utah Tech (formerly Dixie College in St. George, UT) and Texas A&M and completed a master’s program and taught community college Geography for four years in Texas and Illinois. I then worked for three years as a Data Analyst/Project Manager with AT&T, then an Associate Director of Worship at a Christian church for five years. I also taught Biology for one year at a high school in the Bay area, and then worked 17 years in Human Resources. I am currently the Director of HR at a FinTech company in San Diego.

5. What is a fun fact about yourself? 

I’m not sure this qualifies as “fun,” but I went to college to be a forest ranger, worked for the U.S. Forest Service for two summers, then went back to college and switched majors – and never used my B.S. in Environmental Science.  Having a bachelor’s degree opened a lot of doors to other professional positions, but I never used my actual undergraduate degree.  After college, I moved to different states five times in 12 years. I did a lot of singing in college (concert and show choirs) and continued singing whenever and wherever I could – church, community productions, weddings, and funerals.