High school counselors are a huge part of the Wilsonville community, especially towards the education and growth of the students. Many students go into the counseling field because they enjoy helping others work towards college and career paths, while simultaneously staying involved with their high school journeys. Counselors are one of the first people a student comes to for guidance.
Counselors help keep students on track for what is expected of them to graduate, but also help them navigate through some of the toughest times in their lives. Whether it’s identity, social situations, or career/college recommendations, counselors are primary for high schoolers.
Many high school counselors have known they wanted to work in the secondary education unit since a very young age. This is so special to Wilsonville’s students because the counselors can relate to being in that position.
Mrs. Meza, one of Wilsonville’s counselors states, “When I was in middle and high school, I ended up being an office assistant in the counselor’s office, so I always had a great relationship with my counselors.” Her counselors’ influence on her encouraged her to pursue that career path.
Meza also stated, “My counselor really helped me with making sure I had a good GPA. I was really strong academically, but I lacked confidence and she encouraged me to apply to colleges, which really helped me to get to where I am now.”
For many high school counselors, they enjoy working with teenage students. They like to get to know them as individual people, building strong connections with them. For high school counselors at Wilsonville, that’s exactly what they do.
For Mrs. Luedtke, it’s all about getting to know students. Ludtke says, “I enjoy getting to know students. I like helping them with school and other things in their lives at school. My favorite thing about counseling is being able to watch the students grow from 9th to 12th grade.
Meza adds, “When I see a freshman that maybe had a rough start and they start to get it, or when a student comes in and asks for help, especially a graduate that I’ve been working with for four years, it makes me happy.”
Ultimately, high school counselors at Wilsonville play an important role in the educational department of a Wilsonville student, but also cares genuinely about their emotions, mental health, and life outside of the school building. They help make the educational transition during the most challenging times in students’ lives easier.
Counselors like Mrs. Meza and Mrs. Luedtke are great examples of how school counselors genuinely care about the students. Counselors play an important role at Wilsonville, making sure students stay up on grades and are supported from all aspects.