Published on Feb 6, 2023
NCS Celebrates National School Counseling Week
Here at the UChicago Network for College Success, we partner with educators, school leaders, and districts to build transformational high school experiences that prepare all students for academic, career, and community-based success after graduation.
It involves deep self-reflection and a continued commitment to building equity. Notably, we work to ensure our school counselors are equipped with the tools and resources to best support their students. In turn, the students can thrive academically and socially, prepared for life beyond high school.
(Photo credit: Sparkle Waters, School Counselor at South Shore International College Preparatory High School)
This week, we celebrate outstanding school counselors during National School Counseling Week. Schools across the country mark this week to express gratitude for all the work school counselors do to ensure the best environment for their students. NCS joins in the celebration by highlighting some of the counselors we work with and recognizing their dedication to their students.
We invite you to reflect on a school counselor who has played an important role in your school. Who would you like to shout out?
Charvis Peoples, Counseling Department Chair at North-Grand High School and a longtime counselor with NCS.
How/why did you get into this work?
Peoples: Growing up, I felt detached from my high counselor and hardly knew when to meet with one if it didn’t include college-related tasks being completed. Now as I reflect, after learning so much about the profession, I wanted to make sure I approached school counseling differently. There is so much to the work that is vital to the developmental growth of students navigating through high school. I make it my mission to create a safe space for students to share their stories and be their authentic selves.
How do you help your students dream big?
Peoples: There is so much work being done across counseling departments to expose students to communities and opportunities outside of their normal environment. Of the collection of students that reach my office, some share the fact that their parents never went to college and/or even so graduated from high school. This has become the motivator for how I approach conversations with students to build their confidence and shift their mindset from a “can’t” to a “can do” process. I want to make sure that whatever post-secondary pathway students decide to engage in, they are provided space to have intentional conversations about what’s available to them.
How do your students help you dream big?
Peoples: Between nationwide health pandemics, trauma-based influences, and even political decisions, I’m cognizant of the everyday impacts that play a toll on students ‘ experiences. Students help me to dream big by being innovative in how I do counseling to support their ever-changing needs socially and academically.
My dream for the school counseling profession is…..
Peoples: An improved understanding from the community and stakeholders on the impact of our work and how supporting students in the right way under the ASCA model can benefit students’ SEL, academic, and postsecondary needs and success.
Sparkle Waters is a School Counselor at South Shore International College Preparatory High School.
How/why did you get into this work?
Waters: Being a former Special Education teacher, I witnessed the impact of social-emotional support and learning. Oftentimes, I had to provide social-emotional support to reach my students academically, which led to my interest in becoming a school counselor. Being a school counselor is rewarding and a career I plan to continue for years to come. Daily, I make a difference in the lives of young people, my students.
How do you help your students dream big?
Waters: I assist students with their dreams and goals by listening, providing support and motivation, being a voice of hope when needed, and encouraging them to think about their future. When working with students, I often reference the many affirmations in my office: “If you can dream it, you can do it!”
How do your students help you dream big?
Waters: My students are daily reminders of why I am a school counselor. As a young adult, I dreamed of helping others. I wasn’t sure of my future plans; however, I knew I would help others in some capacity. My career as a teacher to a school counselor continues to provide insight into the desires of what I envisioned for my future. My students often leave me notes, send emails, and/or stop in for a quick check-in. Their small acts of kindness are greatly appreciated and another reason for being who I am, a proud school counselor.
My dream for the school counseling profession is…..
Waters: Continue to be agents of change!
Mary Jane Nykiel is the School Counseling Department Chair for Crane Medical Prep.
How/why did you get into this work?
Nykiel: I come from a family of educators, and I had envisioned being a classroom teacher at first. I was in corporate for a while, and somehow my path led me to work with students at DePaul. That inspired me to rethink life as an educator, and I then pursued a school counseling program. I always knew I wanted to be in the helping profession, and I enjoy working with high school students and having the opportunity to see them grow over four years into young adulthood.
How do you help your students dream big?
Nykiel: I love providing the space to support young people’s autonomy and identity and fostering who they will become after high school. This is my 11th year as a school counselor, and I really enjoy building relationships with young people through high school.
How do your students help you dream big?
Nykiel: My students help me dream big because many of them have overcome so much adversity in their lives, and yet they continue and push through. Their resilience is inspiring, and even on bad days, there is always hope. Young people always have aspirations, and that helps me find hope.
My dream for the school counseling profession is…..
Nykiel: My dream for the school counseling profession is that we continue to advocate for and with students in a true partnership.
Michael Horton is a School Counselor at Wells Community Academy
How/why did you get into this work?
Horton: I want to support Young People in exploring their gifts.
How do you help your students dream big?
Horton: I share information and resources and express my expectations of them. Accountability and perseverance are important things to the relationships I build with students. Everyone has a gift, and I want every student to “Earn YOUR Glory”.
How do your students help you dream big?
Horton: Seeing Young People do well and follow their passions motivates me to work on things I personally have an interest in. It also motivates me to find more resources and opportunities for them.
My dream for the school counseling profession is…..
Horton: Students’ voice is more present in our work, and there is more collaboration and relationship-building with students.
Alisha Johnson is the Counseling Department Lead & PLT Lead at Al Raby High School
How/why did you get into this work?
Johnson: Education and helping others have ALWAYS been a passion of mine. Being in the teacher role gave me insight into how I could extend my passion beyond the walls of my classroom by stepping into the school counselor role.
How do you help your students dream big?
Johnson: I help students dream big by building dynamic relationships with them. My philosophy for serving young people correlates with various attributes of the developmental relationship framework, which includes expressing care, challenging their growth, and helping to expand their possibilities.
How do your students help you dream big?
Johnson: My students help me to dream big by consistently showing up each day as their true authentic selves and welcoming a true partnership that serves as the basis of my work. This experience of being in partnership with my students constantly pushes me to continue to work to provide them with the counseling experience and resources that I know they deserve — even if this means having to push boundaries or challenge pre-existing norms or ways of being.
My dream for the school counseling profession is…..
Johnson: That it is a profession in which self-determination, healing, and joy are centered. It would be a profession where counselors create space for students to share what success, healing, and joy look like for them instead of operating under the adult assumptions that so often exist.
Bertha Ruiz is a School Counselor at Farragut Career Academy IB World School
How/why did you get into this work?
Ruiz: I always knew that I wanted to be in a position that would help empower families and students to advocate for their needs and rights. Through my education at NEIU, I obtained my MA in School Counseling, and I have been able to live out my passion for helping others.
How do you help your students dream big?
Ruiz: I push my students to dream big by teaching them to see that they are vessels of change who can achieve big things.
How do your students help you dream big?
Ruiz: My students push me to be the best I can be; they challenge me to think outside of the box and show up as my true and authentic self every single day.
My dream for the school counseling profession is…..
Ruiz: My dream for the school counseling profession is for us to continue to build safe spaces in school settings where we show up with a flexible mindset to serve our students and their unique needs with zero judgment or hesitation.
This blog was curated by Jorge Martinez, a senior at Bennett Day School and intern on the UChicago Network for College Success Postsecondary Team. He has a passion for student governance and currently serves as a contributing reporter at Cicero Independiente, specializing in educational and political injustices in the local community.