Reflective Essay: A Career As A School Counselor

As schools become increasing diverse, cultural competence is essential. Thus, school counselors must have awareness, knowledge, and skills to help the needs of the Asian student population seek higher education. As a minority, I believe that multicultural counseling can greatly impact the lives of students. During my high school years, I felt unaccepted and not understood by my assigned high school counselor because she wasn’t cultural competence. Because my assigned high school counselor couldn’t understand why I chose to apply to only one university, Fresno State, I wasn’t able to go to her when I had questions about college. What she couldn’t understand was that although I wanted to earn an education for myself, I also wanted to stay in Fresno to help financially support my parents. Tatman (2004) states, “Counselors must acknowledge the value that the Hmong place on the family and community and the importance this value plays in all aspects of their lives”.
At that time, I considered not applying to Fresno State because I didn’t know the academic and admission requirement. As Savitz-Romer (2012; as cited by Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000; Choy, 2001; Noeth & Wimberly, 2002; Terenzini et al., 2001) states, “students of color, first-generation college-bound students, and low-income students reply heavily on their school counselors for providing high postsecondary expectations and college planning support (p. 100). Based off of my personal experiences, I believe that school counselors must take action to advocate the importance of addressing and embracing multicultural at their schools to create well-rounded multicultural experiences for all students, preventing students from feeling alienated, and encouraging students to pursue higher