A new counselor was added to Carlmont’s counseling department this school year to help students navigate through their educational careers.
Julia Smith worked at Half Moon Bay High School as a counselor for the past four years and went to San Diego State University for graduate school. Smith is a first-generation college student, and she remembers her high school math teacher setting aside time to help her with college.
“I think she is very sweet and kind. She engages very well with the kids and knows their names, which is a very hard thing to do especially being new to a big school,” said Yvonne Chamorro, a Guidance Information Specialist at Carlmont.
Carlmont’s student-to-counselor ratio in the 2017-2018 school year was 330-to-1, according to a study by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This is slightly less than half of California’s average ratio, which is 663-to-1, according to a report by the American School Counselor Association.
“I like counseling and I like having conversations with students. Being able to focus on that instead of just paperwork has been nice, and Carlmont’s structure has allowed me to do that,” Smith said.
Even with Smith helping to lighten the amount of caseloads per counselor this school year, the rush of students asking for schedule changes crowded the College and Career Center during the first few weeks of school, according to Ian Gower, a sophomore.
“I had to wait 15 minutes, but then I was able to speak to Ms. Smith. I felt the office had the process of quick schedule changes down,” said Gower, who went in to get his schedule changed at the start of the year.
Aside from helping to lower the number of students per counselor, Smith also brought with her some key takeaways that she learned from her past school career.
“Everybody seems to be so focused on where they’re going to college and the college process, but no one’s really looking past college to their career and their future. College is the pathway to an end; it’s not the end itself,” Smith said.
Excited for what the rest of the school year may bring, Smith is looking forward to getting to know the school, the students, and the community that came with her job this year at Carlmont.
“I’m a very goal-oriented person,” Smith said. “I feel like when I work with a student, it’s exciting to see them reach their goals, and so helping kids reach their goals is motivation to me. It almost becomes one of my goals too.”
