Having My Counselors As Mentors

Every student, in one way or another, needs help when first entering high school; whether it’s needing someone to talk to, needing information on a specific career, or wanting information about what high school has in store for them. For me, I didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school. I would spend endless nights researching different jobs that interested me in the slightest and each night I would be right back at square one.

Without a definite answer for what I wanted to do after high school, and time quickly running out, I turned to my counselor for guidance. It started with a meeting where we talked about my strengths and weaknesses. From there we established through a series of personality tests and interest tests what would be the best fit for me. Still after all that help, I still felt lost. She then recommended a college fair. I remember her telling me that maybe I should look at schools first because it might help me understand more of what I want to do. When I got to the college fair it was at first overwhelming. As I started walking about though, I understood better what kind of institution I wanted to go to. As a bonus to that, I was able to talk to some professors at certain schools to ask them questions about their specific field. After one more meeting with my counselor I finally felt confident in what I wanted to do outside of high school. Without that guidance it would have taken me much longer to understand what I really wanted to do. My counselors have always been some of the most patient and understanding people I know. They’ve inspired me to become a better person myself and seeing them in action really pushed me to find what my passion was. Another time one of my counselors really helped me prepare for my postsecondary plans was when I was deciding what colleges I wanted to apply to. She had provided me with a book of all the public and private schools in the state to look through. After I narrowed it down to my top 3, she graciously walked me through the application process.

Throughout this time, I remember how stressed out I felt, but my counselor and I talked about how whatever i’m feeling now it’ll be worth it in the end. She told me not to worry about the details now but to focus on the big picture. That conversation has stuck with since. Every time I feel overwhelmed I just think back to that time and remember that high school is just a small part of my life and the main event starts after I graduate. The high school counselors that I have had as mentors have really pushed me to become a better person. I’ve realized my academic potential and my future with the help of my counselors which in my eyes, is one of the most valuable things I could take away from them