Patrolling the halls and offering a friendly face for female students, security guard Olivia Petrovich looks to keep Souderton safe.
Petrovich was on staff at the high school last year and became a security guard this year.
After working as a medical assistant for 15 years, Petrovich was hired last year at the high school.
“Last year, I worked here in study halls and I really enjoyed working with the kids,” Petrovich said. “Then, this position opened up and I said, ‘Alright, I’ll give it a shot,’ and I’ve been here ever since.”
One thing that Petrovich enjoys about her position at Souderton is the positive influence that she can provide to students.
“I do like helping the kids and making sure they’re doing the right thing,” Petrovich said. “I know that there are a lot of kids that need that extra push, so I try to help them out with that.”
Additionally, according to Petrovich, having a female security guard helps to cover the areas where male staff would be limited.
One of these tasks would be patrolling the womens’ bathrooms.
“It helps that I can check the girls’ bathrooms and make sure everyone’s doing the right thing,” Petrovich said.
Another benefit to having a female security guard on staff is that Petrovich is able to provide a friendly face for female students to approach.
Petrovich believes that it may be easier for these students to approach her, compared to her male counterparts.
“Girls need somebody to feel comfortable coming to,” Petrovich said. “Women feel comfortable with women.”
As a mother of students in the district, Petrovich hopes to provide an environment that she would feel comfortable sending her children to.
Safety is one of her main goals. “I just want to make sure the school’s safe,” Petrovich said.
Petrovich has noticed more female students showing interest in her line of work.
She enjoys being able to answer questions and expose these students to this as a career option.
“A lot of girls will come up to me and walk with me. They’ll say ‘Ms. P, let me see what you do,’” Petrovich said. “It’s neat that they take an interest in what I do.”
As she continues her work in security, Petrovich sees more doors opening for women interested in the field. She hopes that female students who see her at work will get the same message. “It makes you think, you know, women can do anything,” Petrovich said. “Women can be security guards. Women can do this kind of work.”
As a whole, Petrovich is happy to have found herself in this position and looks forward to what the future will bring.
“I love my job,” Petrovich said.