Melinda Guzman, one of Colton High’s security officers, is more than meets the eye.

She has been working as a security officer for 18 years, and at Colton for nine years. When some students think of her, it is her loudness and tough attitude that makes her stand out from the rest of the security staff.

Some imagine her personality at work is how she is off campus, too, but that is hardly the case. Here are some of the things you should know about Guzman:

She is family-oriented, loves her life, and appreciates being able to have a good time.

Even more: she is an amazing, understanding person.

And, perhaps most importantly, her favorite thing about working as a security guard is the students.

Even though not all students always act their best, Guzman appreciates those students that do, and they make her day. Watching kids do “dumb things” that get kicked out of school is hard for her to watch.

Being a security officer has its dramatic moments. They have to deal with a lot of challenging aspects of student life, from making sure kids get to class, to breaking up public displays of affection. Then there are the even more difficult matters, like searching for contraband, or breaking up fights. But according to Guzman, the most dramatic experience that she witnessed in this job “was losing students to death way before their time.”

While it may seem like it, Guzman hasn’t always been a security officer. She has worked a lot of jobs over her life. She’s worked at Little Caesars pizza, on an assembly line for medical supplies, at a daycare, and as a stay-at-home mom for 15 years.

She started working in Colton Joint Unified, first as a noon aide before applying for a position as a security officer. “Both jobs are very close in their job description,” she said.

Guzman is grateful for the opportunities that have come with having this position. With this job, she got the chance to put her kids in private school, and has been able to pay for college for her two daughters and niece, whom she took in as one of her own.

However, Guzman is more than her job. Outside of work she likes to go to the beach, go hiking, and travel. And In her free time, or after a hard day at work, she likes to clean her pool and her yard. She considers this therapy.

And to top off everything, Guzman is a proud grandmother of two grandchildren, an eight-year-old and a newborn.

So Melinda Guzman is definitely more than meets the eyes. She’s not just a security guard.

She’s a mother, grandmother, friend, and so much more.