色情视频

As he searched for his place in the helping professions, Nick Pantoja initially struggled to find his fit. His journey began in medical school, but medicine lacked the human-level connections he desired. It was later, during a stint as a 7th grade substitute math teacher in Roseville, California, that he came to a realization that made everything click into place.

鈥淚 realized that there were many factors that were impacting these students in the way that they show up in the classroom,鈥� Pantoja said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榃ow, there are so many more important things to address before teaching them inequalities or probability.鈥欌��

What he witnessed were social-emotional issues keeping students from performing in the classroom. 

What he also witnessed on his campus was the difference a good school counselor can make. 

鈥淚 was able to connect with the school counselor there and see her world, her perspective and the ways that she operates in the school,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚t was really intriguing to me.鈥�

He was so intrigued that he went back to school himself.

Pantoja is now in his second and final year of 色情视频鈥檚 , which prepares school counselors to be leaders, advocates and systems change agents. As he prepares to enter the profession this spring, he鈥檚 delighted with the choice he made.

鈥淚t really is just being able to sit with others,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat's something that I was craving in medicine, too, but I realized that it wasn't necessarily a priority. School counselors have that opportunity to sit with students, listen to their personal stories and be able to help them that way."

During the program, Pantoja said he has been inspired to learn alongside fellow students focused on social justice and equity who continually challenge him and reframe his perspectives. 

Bringing perspectives

He has also thrived under the tutelage of faculty like assistant professor Brittany N. Glover, who encourages students to bring their own cultural identities and perspectives to the table as assets. For Pantoja, who often felt dismissed and unseen growing up in a predominantly white community in suburban Sacramento, that validation has resonated.

鈥淲hen I think about the kind of impact that I would like to make, I think about little Nick who needed to be heard 鈥� to feel like he had an advocate,鈥� Pantoja said. 鈥淚 hope to be able to be that person for students, regardless of the identities that they hold. I'm hoping to be that safe place for students in any way that I can.鈥�

As his future profession hosts National School Counseling Week 2025 from Feb. 3-7, Pantoja is also excited for the opportunity to be an advocate for school counselors and the important role they play in our school systems.

鈥淯nfortunately, school counselors are often misunderstood," he said. 鈥淪chool counselors do a lot of the behind the scenes work in supporting students. And so I think National School Counseling Week is an opportunity for us to celebrate the necessity of the impacts that we make for students.鈥�