Selma High welcomes its newest academic counselor Mrs. Garcia. Coming from a small town of just around 2000 people, Mrs. Garcia remembers being distant from her guidance counselor.
“When I was a high school student, I never saw my guidance counselor. I went to a small high school of about 200 people and because I was a good student, I wasn’t on her radar so she would never call me in or do anything with me.”
When it was her senior year, she remembered looking to her guidance counselor for help, yet all she did was brush her off and tell her that since she was a top student and that she didn’t really need her help.
“I didn’t feel that that’s how a counselor should treat any student,” she remarked. From that feeling, Mrs. Garcia felt the desire to work with students. First, she tried becoming a school psychologist but found the experience unfulfilling as all they did at the time was test students before sending them off to someone else for help. Then, someone told her to try counseling instead which ended up being the right fit for her.
“I love working with students. Since I was in high school, I would work after school or I would work babysitting while there were meetings. I like seeing students grow; helping them make decisions about college or career, trying to teach them pathways and letting them know they have options, asking them ‘What is it you want to do?’ because all through school you are told ‘This is your path. This is what you have to do.’ but in high school you have more choices and in college everything opens up to you,” she explained.
Since coming to Selma High, Mrs. Garcia has found the number of student here to be much greater than her old town. Emailing students and staff without knowing who they are while still getting information across has been common. Despite these setbacks, she has found Selma High to have a very welcoming and organized environment.
“I love having a team. I love having somebody to work with and people to go to. At my old job, I was TK-8th grade. I had the same amount of students on my caseload: about 500, but it was just me and it was a wide variety of grades so I would go from running after a kindergartener, to doing academic counseling with a middle schooler, to doing some college and career stuff, to going back after a 3rd grader that didn’t want to be in class. Here, I’m focussing on academics, transcripts, college/career and I have a team that I can go to if I need help with anything”.
Mrs. Garcia has nothing but thanks to give to Selma High and hopes that students will see from and hear from their counselors more often than she did.
“Selma High students, thank you for welcoming me and I’d like to say this to you guys: Come see your counselor. If you have any questions, we’re all very friendly so you can send us an email or check at the student office if we’re available. We’re here to help you.”