PULSE: Peers Understanding Listening Supporting Education

During the past three years of college, my interest in counseling has been affirmed through a variety of experiences. One important experience that influenced my decision to pursue a career as a school counselor was my involvement in my community service sorority, Chi Delta Alpha. Through Chi Delta Alpha, I volunteered on several occasions, among them I babysat children to provide parents with a night off; I was responsible for a

Working in various school settings, I have been exposed to merely a glimpse of the future in which I pursue. I believe that this passion is driven by looking at my own school counselors when I was younger and realizing how great of an impact they have had on my life. From the counselors in elementary school that have helped me resolve issues with other children over a stolen crayon, to my counselors that pushed me over my limits at Rutgers University, I have become more aware of the positive impacts they have had on my life. I only aspire to be as great of a counselor to others, as they have been for me. This program embodies major values that I possess and would want to expand on in order to support the youth. Through the counseling program, I hope to gain more experience about how to help individuals in various topics such as academic support, self-development, and building relationships with these young

Stacy Lynn is the Coordinator of Student Activities at Mid-State Community College (MSCC). Stacy has just completed three new student orientation (NSO) sessions. The initial feedback from 525 new students and their families has been overwhelmingly positive. Stacy considers the NSO sessions to be a success, however on a personal level Stacy is feeling anything but success. This is due to the set of circumstances that led to the recent completion of the NSO sessions. Stacy was reassigned the NSO project when her colleague Kim Hickman, Director of Enrollment Management, informed Stacy that she was resigning and, as a result, the NSO was now Stacy’s responsibility. This news caught Stacy off

I stand in an ocean of students outside the gym, listening as a Link Crew leader bangs a gong and welcomes us to our Freshmen Orientation. I am not sure what to anticipate, not sure who I will meet, not sure of what the future holds. But I was sure of one thing. I was ready. Flash forward three years, and I am in the same place, feeling the same emotions. Now, however, I am the one banging the gong, welcoming the Freshmen to a new chapter of their life. After working on organizing Orientation since my election as the President of Link Crew in the spring, I was proud to open those doors and start off the Class of 2020’s high school career.

For their community project, the group hosted studying and tutoring blasts the weekend before midterms and finals last fall and this spring to help lower to number of students dropping or failing their courses at HCC. Their research project followed the theme of health and medicine as frontiers, and they researched the effects of social

Ms. Wright is expected to meet with students one-on-one and evaluate their individual situations to see what issues they are facing, whether it be anxiety, depression, or other mental health disorders. As the counselor, she gives guidance, advice, suggestions, and comes up with intervention strategies to resolve their issues. These strategies include creatively incorporating effective coping strategies and relaxation techniques into her students’ everyday lives to reduce stress. In her office, she had calming jars, pinwheels, and much more to offer her students as a stress reliever. Her job is to monitor the student’s progress over time and make necessary adjustments to fit that particular student's needs in order to effectively help them. Other responsibilities associated with her position include, overseeing projects and campaigns, attending and presenting at educational conferences, and creating presentations for the students all to promote the importance of mental health and overall development.

Since freshman year, I have taken college level health science related courses that taught me the technical aspects of medical terminology, along with the complex questions of bioethics. From a practical aspect, I learned about the values and perplexities of the Hippocratic Oath, while getting CPR/AED/First Aid certified. Through my extracurriculars, I learned the value of synergizing science and compassion. I learned the devastation illness has on family members when I volunteered at the Alzheimer’s Care facility. I danced to Marvin Gaye with the terminally ill residents as their family members looked on with a surreal expression on their face because their mom or dad was enjoying that very instance of their life. At my internship at a physical therapy practice, I learned the importance of patient autonomy from older patients who would forego major operations like hip or knee replacements to preserve their quality of life without facing the potential implications of a major operation. At the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life, I learned how important holistic health care factored into the treatment process as cancer survivors and fighters emphasized the importance of a strong emotional and spiritual support network. These profound insights I learned outside the classroom brought my education full circle. At Georgetown, with the National

Matt Bauman is a junior English major at Point Park University, and serves the community as a resident educator. His main responsibility is to help and assist the incoming students on his floor. While interviewing Matt, I was able to dive into the responsibilities of a resident educator. The training to become an RE at Point Park isn’t an easy job; for Matt and many other inspiring RE’s they had to do a week’s long training that would last for many hours during the day (Bauman, Matt. Personal Interview, November 2016). Becoming a resident educator is a serious responsibility, not only was the training for this position difficult and challenging, but Matt had to learn how to manage his time and schedule differently (Bauman, Matt. Personal Interview,

Guidance counselors worked under massives levels of stress in their efforts to address the concerns of parents and students regarding the dropping of many classes including some AP classes and CTE programs. But it was because of this determination and cohesiveness, constant hard work and cooperation, that the 2017-2018 school year had come, and nearly passed, in a similar fashion to the years before it: without many sizeable upsets. It was through this event, caused by the lack of resources present to us as a school and as a city, that we were to become aware of what our community was capable of when we worked together towards a common goal.

As I finish up my practicum hours this week, I am amazed at how everything has come full circle. As someone who came into college with no clue of what I wanted to do after graduation, I found that the Office of Student Engagement allowed me to develop as a person and figure out the things that are most important to me. As I started to get more involved on-campus and take on more leadership roles, I started to gain an interest in working in the field of higher education in hopes to provide this same experience to other college students. By having the opportunity to work with Patrick Dezort, the Director of Student Development and Engagement at Felician University, as part of my Field Practicum in Psychology course, I was hoping to get

This semester has been emotionally, mentally and physically taxing; the topics (suicide, homicide, sexual abuse, death, intimate partner violence, etc.) in class have been exceedingly bleak and distressing. Each week has presented its emotional and mental challenges, some more difficult than others (child sexual abuse), but the information gained will be invaluable in my counseling career. The emotional strain and exhaustion that accompanied the task of processing this information, processing my feelings and thoughts, and practicing self-care were well worth the outcome. As mentioned previously, all of this information and insight gained will be essential in my counseling career, but also the habits that I have developed, as they relate to

For a start, I just want to give you some constructive criticism/positive feedback on your SOCW 6392 aging population class. As a student, I have observed your meticulous teaching strategies and active listening skills. I truly appreciate your classroom rules and how you quickly check someone (put them in their place) if they try to step out of line. With a structured class, students are able to stay focused on the course materials and are less likely to get distracted/off topic than when in unstructured/unorganized settings.

All students deserve and need a positive, dependable support system as well as a strong education in order to transition successfully into adulthood. A school’s primary objective should go beyond simply producing students. Rather, the goal should be to produce qualified and confident young men and women ready to take their next step, regardless of what that may be. In order to do so, it is of the utmost importance that parents, families, teachers, and counselors work together to engage a child in not only the learning process, but the maturing process as well. Through best counseling practices , I will strive to develop the next generation by acting as a youth advocate who empowers all students to overcome challenges and meet their fullest potential. Widener University’s master of education in counselor education program will allow me to do that.

Peer Assisted Learning Strategies for reading, otherwise known as PALS, is an approach to teaching children important reading skills. PALS uses peer-mediated instruction that pairs a high-performing with a low-performing reader in order to complete activities that promote reading skills. PALS uses highly structured acitivites, reciprocal peer tutoring, the use of scripted prompts, frequent verbal interaction in feedback, and competitive game format. PALS has shown improvement in the reading performance of students. PALS allows students to be actively involved and allows students with disabilities to spend more time in the least restrictive environment. PALS requires engagement in three activities designed to build fluency and comprehension

His main roles are working with students who are a part of the advanced placement program; he is also responsible for working with students that are a part of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) educational program. These two programs have a rigorous curriculum; the AVID program consists of students that are enrolled in a rigorous course of study that will enable them to meet requirements for university enrollment. Besides these two programs Mr. Ryland is also in charge of the comprehensive competency-based guidance program, which provides students with a developmental and proactive guidance program. According to Ryland “the competency-based guidance program is to offer a system intended to assist all students with the development of their educational goals, personal goals, and even career goals” (2015). Mr. Ryland has worked hard for the position he holds as the head school counselor. While interviewing Mr. Ryland, this learner asked him about his professional development. Mr. Ryland began to discuss how “professional development is about the knowledge and skills a counselor gains to promote their job development” (2015). He says that promoting job development entails, attending conferences or training sessions. Professionals who seek personal development are the ones who desire for a long lasting career and personal growth in the counseling field. These individuals are often the ones who have an exceptional drive for the counseling field, and