This year we have three new counselors, Aaron Zhou and Sue Li. They are here to help support students at Fernando Rivera. You can find them in the attendance office and schedule a meeting with them by email or writing on the pink slips in the office. First we will interview Zhou, let’s see what he has to say.

Have you ever worked as a counselor before?

I have worked as a counselor before but as an intern at various sites. This is my first official time working as a counselor at a school.

Why did you choose to become a counselor at FRS?

I choose to come and counsel at FRS because I believe the development stage of middle schoolers around ages 11-13 is very pivotal and important when it comes to establishing their identity and shaping out who they will eventually become, decision-making skills and have the repertoire of strong coping techniques/strategies for them to become successful. And personally, I came to FRS because I really liked the team that I was interviewed by and it was very close to my house. I love Daly City.

What is your goal for the FRS community?

My goal for the FRS community is the same vision I shared at the beginning of the year. I hope to be able to make a positive impact no matter how small the community here. This can look, providing support in areas such as social/emotional, development, academics, and long-life learning skills. My goal is to be able to support each and every student to the best of my ability.

How do you support students here at FRS?

I support the students here at FRS through various avenues. There are different tiers of support that I provide. Whether it’s one-on-one counseling, or even classroom lessons/support. I support the students here by providing coverages in areas such as SEL, academics, and behaviors. I hope to support by providing guidance in areas so that all students can be self-sufficient in how they cope/manage with their everyday struggles and challenges as a middle school student.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Yes, I believe that each student and person in general is capable of anything. As cliche as that sounds, everyone is capable with a strong foundation of support. So, my advice would be to always seek out and not be afraid to advocate for yourself because your experience, who you are, and how you perceive the world is completely different from everyone else’s. So, always speak your mind and share your opinions because nobody has your thoughts and beliefs. It is unique to you! And everyone’s voice has value. So believe in yourself and speak up!

Now moving on to Li.

So far, what is your favorite part of FRS?

I would say my favorite part about this school is the students and staff making it very welcoming for me to be here. I came in a little bit later, maybe a bit over a month after school started, so everything’s new to me and then it’s just the staff and students making it real for me to go into this transition.

What advice would you give to those who are scared of talking about their feelings?

I’ve been seeing two things, number one is students are afraid of being judged about what they’re going through or their feelings. Another thing is that they don’t know how to react when someone tells them that they’re sad like they’re scared to respond to it in a way where they would be afraid of hurting even more.

How do you like being a counselor at FRS, and do you see yourself working here next year?

I like being a counselor here to be truly honest, I’ve never thought that I would be a counselor in a middle school before. This is something that I thought would be a challenge for me but because of the school’s students and staff and just the atmosphere here is making it super welcoming for me to be here. So I definitely will see myself  here next year.

Why did you decide to become a counselor?

At first, I wanted to be a teacher. I was a tutor before and then I tried out different roles in the educational world. I was an advisor for quite some time for college and career stuff. I really liked that piece of talking to students one-on-one or in smaller settings. Then I started to see myself more in the counseling and advising world rather than the teaching world. So I went back to school for my master’s in school counseling and eventually became a counselor here.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

 I would like to say to the students, do not hesitate to reach out to your counselors here. We are always here and if you want someone to talk to about anything, just talk to us.

That was some great advice from our counselors here! If you have any other questions or would like to speak to any one of them you can find their emails below:

Aaron Zhou – [email protected]

Sue Li – [email protected]