Milestones

My road in life has taken me all over.
Joined the Marine Corps after high school, stationed In Okinawa, Japan
Fell in love with a guy I was stationed with, but ended up pregnant and alone. Being a single mother in the Marines was very difficult, but made me a stronger woman for it.
After marines, found a job in Houston as an assistant air traffic controller, but had no sense of direction and knew deep inside the job wasn't a good fit, but needed to support myself and son.
Met a wonderful man, eventually married and changed jobs as supply clerk in Ca. Knew this job also wasn't a good fit. Did soul searching- knew there had to be more to life than a 9-5 job.
Quit job as a supply clerk, joined the Army Guard, and started college full time to become a Counselor. Took almost 10 years from start to finish.
After college, almost immediately hired as a Veterans Counselor at Sierra College. Knew without hesitation that I had finally found my place in the world and poured my heart in soul into my career.
After 16 years, had somewhat of a career change from Veterans Coordinator to General Counseling.
Decided to start teaching Career Exploration classes and discovered Road Trip Nation curriculum to use in my college course! So excited to help students on their journey!
Keep following my journey

Education

High School
Anderson Union High
Bachelor
Sociology, General
California State University, Sacramento
Graduate
M.S. Counselor Education
California State University, Sacramento

Career

Counselor / Professor Sierra College

I provide career, academic,personal, & crisis counseling to college students and teach courses in Career Exploration

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Philosophy & Religion
Teaching / Mentoring

Day to Day

I start the day counseling students on an individual basis for 30-60 minutes. Our counseling sessions range from helping students choose classes, career advising, personal issues, and crisis intervention. I love that no two days are ever the same! On Fridays I teach a 3 unit career exploration class. I spend the rest of week, serving on a career integration committee, returning calls, emails, meetings, and working with other faculty. There is always something new to learn or get involved in.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for everyone

Network...Network...Network! Just start moving into a direction with like minded people in the profession you want to pursue. Join a club, volunteer, talk to your teachers, friends, family, check out meetup.com. I believe in the law of attraction. Once you start moving in the direction of your chosen path, the universe will meet you halfway!

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

graduate
Graduate
M.S. Counselor Education

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Myself:

"I struggled with self-esteem. I felt I wasn't smart enough for college and never even considered college after high school. Consequently, I decided to join the Marines with hopes of obtaining some type of skill that I could enjoy and make a living."

Interviewed By

Anonymous Student