Our academic counselors play an important role on our campus. They do more than just making sure students pass their classes. 

Our current counselors are Mrs Alma Mejia, our senior counselor, Mrs Cynthia Mercado, our junior counselor, Mrs San Juana Gonzalez, our sophomore counselor, and Mrs Katey Leeper, our freshman counselor. 

They also support students emotionally and prepare them for success by closely monitoring your grades, offering guidance on certain classes, making sure students are successful in the real world and making sure students are on the right path to graduation. 

Our counselors do a weekly grade check and meet with students and parents to address any challenges early on. 

 Mejia, our senior counselor, said a typical day in a counselor’s life is “Chaotic, because we do a little bit of everything and every week looks different.” 

Her week consists of making sure her students are okay and keeping up with grades. 

Our counselors also recognize the significance of students’ emotional well being, they provide support and referrals to our campus program and to our Wellness Counselor Mrs Jasmin Landeros who provides a short term support for students. 

Landeros helps students work through emotional challenges and provides guidance for a period of typically six weeks. If students need a longer program our academic counselor referrals students to our support program the school offers.  

A common challenge counselors see students face is keeping up with grades and managing their time wisely. 

They also feel like students now in this age are learning to navigate our personal and academic lives at the same time. 

For any students that are struggling or need support counselors are encouraged to speak up and ask for help even if it’s for a friend you’re speaking up for. 

Mejia said, the most rewarding part of being a counselor is “being there for you guys, making sure students are okay and building a relationship with students.”

 She enjoys when students come to her for the little things like hearing students got a job or got into certain colleges. 

 Mejia said, “It’s rewarding to see you guys grow up and figure out what you want in life.” 

School counselors provide academic support to students to succeed. Their dedication helps with creating a safe and supportive school environment. 

If you see a counselor give them a big thank you for the hardworking effort they put into helping students.