Student Impact
I am honored to present evidence demonstrating my contributions to student wellness and school climate over the past four years. Through the development of sustainable mental health programs, student leadership initiatives, and comprehensive support systems, I have helped transform our school's approach to emotional wellness while creating accessible pathways for students to receive the support they need to thrive academically and emotionally.
Building accessible entry points to support
Morning Greeting
Every morning begins with a simple but powerful practice - greeting students at scanning. This isn't just about saying hello; it's about:
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Creating an accessible first point of contact
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Early identification of students in distress
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Building trust and rapport
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Setting school-wide tone for mental health openness
Individual & Group Counseling
Through personalized counseling and targeted group work, I help students overcome barriers and transform challenges into opportunities for growth. By meeting students where they are and providing comprehensive support, I create pathways for both academic and emotional success. My approach focuses on two key areas:
Academic & Attendance Success:
• Partner with students to identify and address attendance barriers
• Create individualized morning routines and check-in plans
• Develop practical coping skills for classroom engagement
• Help students reconnect with school community after absences
Emotional Wellness Support:
• Provide one-on-one support for anxiety, trauma, and personal growth
• Create safe spaces for shared experiences and peer connection
• Build lasting emotional wellness strategies
• Collaborate with families to support student success
Restorative Practices
Facilitating spaces for healing, connection, and growth through restorative practices strengthens our school community. Through structured opportunities for dialogue and understanding, students and staff address challenges and rebuild relationships with support and guidance.
Community Building & Restoration:
• Lead restorative circles that build classroom communities and trust
• Facilitate mediations to help students resolve conflicts peacefully
• Guide difficult conversations between students and teachers
• Create opportunities for students to repair harm and restore relationships
Welcome Back Support:
• Coordinate return-to-school meetings after suspensions or hospitalizations
• Facilitate smooth transitions back to the classroom community
• Establish supportive re-entry plans with students and teachers
• Provide ongoing check-ins to ensure successful reintegration
Classroom Support & Seminar Facilitation
Supported student wellness through integrated classroom experiences and structured seminar sessions, creating opportunities for deeper learning and community building. By bringing mental health expertise directly into academic spaces, students engaged with challenging topics while accessing immediate support.
Classroom Integration:
• Partnered with teachers to support sensitive curriculum topics
• Led discussions on grief and loss to complement literary analysis
• Facilitated conversations about mental health themes in academic content
• Provided in-classroom emotional support during challenging discussions
• Guided students in processing difficult subject matter
Seminar Leadership:
• Designed and facilitated community building activities
• Led interactive workshops on conflict resolution and communication
• Guided students through self-care and stress management practices
• Created safe spaces for discussions about bullying and peer relationships
Student Leadership and Empowerment
Fostering student leadership creates powerful ripple effects throughout our school community. Through structured programs and mentorship opportunities, students transform from participants to leaders, using their experiences to support peers and create lasting cultural change.
Leadership Development Programs:
• Serve as Faculty Advisor for the Bring Change to Mind Club, empowering students to reduce mental health stigma and create school-wide conversations about emotional wellness
• Coordinate the Young Women's Empowerment Program, supporting young women of color in developing leadership skills and exploring identity
• Developed peer leadership initiatives, including training upperclassmen to welcome and support incoming freshmen transitioning from pandemic isolation
• Guide student-led mental health awareness campaigns and school-wide events
• Foster peer-to-peer support networks that strengthen school community
Pandemic Response Leadership:
• Trained 5 upperclassmen as peer leaders to support freshman transition
• Created structured mentorship opportunities for pandemic-impacted students
• Established student-led support systems for school re-entry
Bring Change to Mind Club
Successfully secured and implemented a national grant to establish our school's Bring Change to Mind Club, creating a student-led platform for mental health awareness and stigma reduction.
For five years, this initiative has empowered students to lead conversations about emotional wellness, with meetings continuing uninterrupted through the pandemic's virtual learning period – providing crucial social connection during an isolating time.
Meeting consistently every Tuesday, student leaders design and facilitate discussions and activities around essential topics including empathy, mental health awareness, self-care practices, healthy relationships, and positive self-talk.
By centering student voices and leadership, the club has become a cornerstone of our school's wellness culture, with elected student leaders driving the direction of mental health campaigns and awareness initiatives.
