In celebration of National School Counseling Week, CUSD Insider is showcasing profiles of the fantastic counselors we have throughout the District.
Today we are highlighting Bea Nguyen, Aliso Niguel High School Futureology College and Career Counselor.
Q: How long have you worked in CUSD?
A: 3.5 years
Q: Describe your role in supporting student success at your school or in your department.
A: I’m honored to be one of four credentialed college and career counselors in the district. Our district is extremely unique in that we provide targeted college and career counseling supports to students through a comprehensive program led by credentialed school counselors with college admissions experience. I am currently at Aliso Niguel High School full time. I meet with students and their parents/guardians for one-on- one counseling appointments, provide districtwide college and career webinars and events with my colleagues, and support students on campus with workshops and classroom lessons.
Q: What role do you play in the MTSS framework? How does this program benefit students in your opinion?
A: Our team has works closely with our high school site to provide a Mult-Tiered System of Support for students in the area of college and career. From a Tier 1 perspective this year, our team has worked closely with each high school’s guidance department to promote financial aid completion among seniors and student registration with CaliforniaColleges.edu, the district’s new college and career planning platform! In addition to our general work with families, our team also targets underrepresented student populations including: first generation, homeless youth, foster youth, emerging bilingual students, and students in special education. Using school and districtwide data, we collaborate with stakeholders at the district and school sites to ensure that all students in CUSD are receiving critical college and career planning support throughout high school. We partner with each high school’s Guidance, English Learner Support, and Special Education teams to provide Tier 2 supports to students in smaller group and/or classroom settings. In partnership with high school guidance teams, we feel that our work as a dedicated college and career counselors gives our students even more access to information that will help them make informed and personalized decisions about their future.
Q: How long have you worked professionally in school counseling?
A: I’ve been a school counselor for over 14 years. I started my career as a middle school counselor with Monterey Peninsula Unified School District then spent the bulk of my counseling career at a charter school. Additionally, I have worked as a college admissions reader for UC Irvine and as an independent educational consultant.
Q: What college degrees and professional certifications do you hold?
A: I received a B.A. in English from UC Irvine, and a M.A. in Educational Counseling and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential from Chapman University. Currently, I serve on the executive board for the Western Association for College Admission Counseling- I’m particularly proud to be a voice for public school counselors on the board.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about counseling work?
A: In college, I had plans to become a literary journalist. I wanted to interview public figures and share their stories. Eventually, it dawned on me that what drew me to journalism was the desire to connect with others and to bear witness to their life experience- from their greatest accomplishments to life-altering obstacles, and everything in between. With the help of my college career counselor, I discovered the world of counseling which has allowed me to accomplish my life’s goal—to connect with others and support them. I love presenting to large groups as much as I love meeting with students one-on-one. Any time I’m actively supporting others, I’m content. I also love crunching data and getting lost in an excel spreadsheet (which there is a lot of in counseling)!
Q: Is there a program that CUSD utilizes that is especially beneficial to student support?
A: CaliforniaColleges.edu is a comprehensive college and career platform that our students can use to actively explore colleges, careers, and track their academic progress!
Q: How do counselors in CUSD help support one another?
A: Counselors in CUSD are all in for students. I have the honor of serving on the counseling advisory team and am amazed by the dedication and advocacy that I see from each and every counselor. Counselors in our district are resilient and adaptable and have demonstrated an ability to persevere in the face of change and adversity. There is such a rich depth of experience among CUSD counselors and everyone pulls from their strengths to support each other. I’m inspired by my colleagues every day.
Q: What is the one thing you would want families to know about your role in student success that they might not be aware of?
A: Many families in our district are aware of the fact that our team provides one-on-one counseling and webinars for families but they might not realize that we are also at our high school sites providing workshops and classroom lessons as well!
Q: Please add anything additional on any topic not covered in previous questions.
A: So far this year, our small counseling team has met with over 750 students for 1:1 appointments. We will host a total of 16 district-wide webinars by the end of the school year and we are at our high school sites providing weekly group support in the form of workshops and classroom presentations.