CSPU 512 Signature Assignment

Ryan Inaba

Brandman University

2 May 2021

Professor Melissa Chan-Nauli

As an MA School Counseling candidate at Brandman University, it is my professional

intention to become a high school counselor upon the completion of my degree. This is

something that I have thought about deeply. I have long known that I have wanted to work in

education. After exploring the educational and professional world and learning about myself, I

determined that I would pursue a career in school counseling. I would like to be a school

counselor in order to assist students in determining what they want to pursue in life, with support

and without judgment. With my belief that each student has their own unique path, and from

what I have learned throughout my life experiences, I am confident that my beliefs, character,

and resolve will make me a strong school counselor for all students.

I have been very fortunate to have had several people supporting me as I decided which

career I would pursue. While each of these people certainly had a positive impact on me, the two

most impactful supporters have been my parents and my high school counselor. My parents have

never wavered in their support of all of my endeavors. They both followed career paths that were

either family or community-oriented and forewent more lucrative career opportunities. This

continues to have a lasting impact on me as I strive towards a career in which I can positively

impact the lives of others. While my parents inspired me to pick a career that was based on

family and community, it was my high school academic advisor who inspired me to become a

counselor. She showed me that a school counselor was much more than someone who helps pick

classes. My counselor helped me when I was in high school, and has continued to do so long

after I graduated. She has offered me advice and guidance to this day, and has always been happy

to speak with me whenever I have questions. I truly believe that I would not have accomplished

what I have to this point had she not guided me. She helped me prepare to transfer from

community college to UCLA, and in picking a school to become a counseling candidate. So

much of what I have learned from her has helped me formulate my thoughts on what it means to

be a school counselor. After seeing what kind of impact a counselor could have on me, I knew I

wanted to have a similar impact on others’ lives.

From these experiences and influences, I have learned quite a bit about what the most

important characteristics are for a school counselor. I know that these lessons and examples will

be important for me to implement in order to positively impact my students. From everything

that I have seen and done, I believe that the most important characteristics of a school counselor

are practicing active listening, positivity, and encouragement.

I was fortunate enough to have my parents and my high school counselor listen to me

offer support. Without this, navigating my academic and professional career would have been

much more difficult and riddled with much more self-doubt. Having someone who listens to you

is so important for success, and I know that I will need to be an active listener for my students.

That means not only hearing the words they are saying but also what those words really mean.

That means paying attention to their demeanor, body language, and tone of voice as they speak.

By paying attention to these signs, I can better infer how they are feeling about something and

therefore better tailor ways to assist them.

I have seen firsthand how powerful encouragement and support can be. I know how hard

it can be to be unsure of what your next steps are and how difficult it can be to deal with the

pressure that can accompany mulling over options. High school is a period of time with lots of

options. Whether or not to go to college, what career one should choose, and how one will

support themselves in adulthood are all questions that can cause stress for a student. In the

absence of support, this can become incredibly stressful and daunting for students to overcome.

Thus, it is very important for school counselors to offer support to students. One should never
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assume or take for granted that all individuals have some sort of support system in their lives. If

a counselor acts in a supportive manner, then it can be known that there is at least one support

system available for every student. By encouraging students that they can achieve their dreams

and by focusing on what they can do to attain success, I am confident that I am offering students

a strengths-based solution focused on brief counseling that can positively impact them in a

lifelong manner (Sklare, 2005, p. 6-7).

Without my high school counselor’s care and compassion, I would not be in the position

that I am in today. She inspired me to do what was best for me and to follow my passions. She

offered me a great example of how to empower students based on their interests and strengths,

and to use those however they saw fit. What she showed me is the exact image that I want to

project to my students. I want to empower students to choose what they want to do with their

lives and to give them the tools and resources they need to be successful. If a student chooses a

path that is unconventional, I want to be there to offer them support and commend them for

being brave in choosing what they want to do. My role is not to direct students on what to do

with their lives. My role is to listen with intent and compassion and to encourage them to take

positive steps in their life, no matter what that step is. That is exactly how I want to be perceived

in my professional life.

My worldview tends to skew in the positive direction. I believe that most people are

well-intentioned and try to act in a morally correct way. While selfishness and cruelty can

sometimes shake my faith in humanity, my optimism usually returns rather quickly. To put it

simply, others have the ability to greatly inspire me. One incident that continues to affect my

worldview in the realm of counseling was my experience mentoring a coworker’s son. When we

first met, the boy was quiet and withdrawn. He did not say much, and would usually only
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respond with one or two-word answers. Slowly, he started to emerge from his shell. While he did

not seem particularly excited about school, he started to talk to me about how much he loved

basketball and we soon bonded over that. Over the next few years, we talked about other topics

including a future in an academic career. I never told him or directed him as to what he should

do, but instead just offered him support whenever we spoke. Upon my graduation from UCLA, I

received a message from him. He thanked me for always supporting him and said that I was like

a big brother to him. To this day, he seeks out my advice on academic decisions and has shown

an incredible drive to achieve his professional and academic goals. Incidents like these are

incredibly meaningful to me. Interactions like this one are one of the biggest reasons I decided to

pursue a career in school counseling. Stories in which my students find success cause me to seek

out ways in which I can do the same for others and ensure that more students feel the same way

that this boy felt. In this way, I feel that my worldview is perfectly aligned with what the school

counseling profession needs.

I recognize that I will have different experiences with different populations. Furthermore,

I know that I will also have some advantages working with some populations due to my

experiences and personal characteristics. With that in mind, I know that it is important for me to

recognize some of the privileges that I have had in my lifetime. Some of these privileges are

being half-Cacausian and a male, growing up in a two-parent household, never having to worry

about money, good health, and support from my family. While counseling individuals with all of

their baseline needs met will be much easier for me, counseling those who do not presents much

more of a challenge for me. I will not ever fully understand what they have or are going through,

and I cannot therefore tell them “I know how you feel.” And that is completely alright. I do not

have to walk in the shoes of someone who is a different background than I am in order to
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advocate for and protect them. In order to ensure that I am competent for all cultures I know I

will need to read, listen, and seek out knowledge on the subjects. While some of this information

may be uncomfortable or difficult to hear, I know that it is a necessary step I need to take in

order to ensure I can counsel equitably and fairly.

As someone that plans to be in this profession for their entire professional life, I know

that it will be important to ensure that I am prepared to come to work every day and put my best

effort to use to help my colleagues and students. In order to do this, it is imperative that I am in

good health, physically and mentally. If I myself am not taken care of, then it is in turn difficult

to be able to take care of my students. Perhaps nothing is more vital to that than spending quality

time with my family and friends. By doing this, it safeguards against me burning out and helps

me stay grounded. I know there will be tough days when I work in this profession. Yet, when I

walk through the door to see my family, I know that all of that tough business that occurred that

day will feel all worth it.

My parents did not measure success by how much money they made. Rather, they

measured success in how they were able to impact others lives, whether it was myself and my

brother, or someone else. I have also come to measure my success in the same manner. When I

look back on what I have accomplished in life my deepest hope is that I am remembered as

someone who helped others reach their dreams and as someone who always positively affected

those I came into contact with. With a career in school counseling, I know I can do that. By

passing on the lessons I have learned in my experiences, I know I can be someone who advances

the lives of others through compassion, empathy, and encouragement.

References

Sklare, G. B. (2005). Brief counseling that works: a solution-focused approach for school

counselors and administrators. Corwin Press.