Maria Rodriguez, Franconiajesseandmaria@gmail.com
In 2002, I moved to Virginia to begin my undergraduate studies at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). I majored in psychology and picked up minors in Family Studies, Sociology, and Spanish along the way.Throughout my college years, I tried to fill my time with opportunities that would give me direction for post-graduation plans. Jobs included Camp Counselor at Spruce Lake Wilderness Camp, Recreational Leader at New Life Youth & Family Services, Community Connections Instructor at Pleasant View, Inc., and Community Advisor at EMU. A cross-cultural semester to Guatemala and Bolivia and various volunteer opportunities in Harrisonburg City strengthened my love for diversity and service. Practicum experiences in a class for individuals with autism, with the guidance department in a local high school, and with a child assessment team were positive experiences for me.I have always loved working with people and have enjoyed educational settings. As a result of these and other experiences, I decided to combine my interests. I concluded that I wanted to pursue further education in counseling, specifically school counseling. I did not seriously consider attending EMU’s Master of Arts in Counseling program throughout college until my senior year. After doing some research on graduate programs, I realized that EMU’s program had what I was looking for.I entered the School Counseling track in the fall of 2007. In some ways it was a challenging year as I learned that the school counseling track, which I was in, would be closing down. This experience helped me realize how much I value education and that this was the career track that I truly wanted to be in. As a result, I also decided to take more community counseling courses to expand my options for post-graduation.I value learning in an educational setting where there are opportunities to build relationships with professors and to learn with peers. An aspect of the EMU counseling program that I respect is the emphasis placed on holistic counseling where the strengths and goals of both the counselor and client are considered. EMU does an excellent job of facilitating learning through community involvement. Another asset of the program is the focus on self-exploration and growth. I had no idea how much I would be counseled during graduate school! While inner work is encouraged, professionalism and meeting National Standards are also stressed.I have just begun my second year in the program and am busy with a 600-hour internship in a local elementary school and with a full course-load of classes. As an intern I provide individual counseling for students, teach guidance lessons, lead groups, consult with parents and staff, and try to learn as much as I can. I hope to work as a school counselor following graduation or to work towards becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor to provide services to the local community.My journey to this point has been filled with so many blessings and influential people. I hope to extend a portion of the love that I have received back to the community by providing professional counseling in a manner that reflects Christ’s love and service.I recently read the book, “Let your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation,” by Parker J. Palmer. Palmer writes:
Some journeys are direct, and some are circuitous; some are heroic, and some are fearful and muddled. But every journey, honestly undertaken, stands a chance of taking us toward the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.
My hope is that I can reach a place where I can use my gifts and dreams in a setting that “meets the world’s deep need.”