College Counselors for Kids
By Ciara Lopez
"Can't you ask a school counselor for help? Isn't that their job?" is the response I would obtain from my mother when I needed academic support. As a first-generation student and the eldest of three siblings, I highly relied on my school to guide me through the various stages of learning and experiences, especially my college journey. However, as much as I wanted to depend on my school, they lacked counselors and the means to adequately guide me.
Coming from a small school, one would imagine being served better and building a stronger relationship with academic support services. However, this was different. Serving 450 students, my school only had one counselor who was not only in charge of educational guidance, but was expected to offer emotional and mental health services. A prime reason for the lack of counselors in schools is a severe lack of funding allocated to schools. Hearing that the current recommended student-to-teacher ratio in the US is 250:1 made me feel disappointed; students' experiences with a counselor are reflected in their failures and triumphs. As a senior who needed college guidance, I thought I could rely on my counselors, but instead, the few meetings I did receive were brief and generalized. If my school had more funding, that would mean more counselors, I—and many other students—would not have felt so unimportant and unheard. I then distanced myself, which as the eldest and first generation who did not have other resources, caused me to reach high-stress levels and anxiety. I felt like I was becoming a burden to my parents, who were unequipped to support me in the areas that were meant to be done by school counselors. My sister, a current senior, is reliving my experience of stress and neglect– sense of not being supported. Students should not have to resort to online sources for help with the college application process. If there is more funding, students would not experience high levels of anxiety and disregard; instead, they could focus on simply being students. The future of this world is our students, the new generation; the support of more counselors is fundamental.