During this time last year, I remember how nervous, anxious, and frustrated I felt. I was about to complete my program, and I had no idea how things were going to turn out once May rolled around. Although I had a part-time position as an Academic Advisor for the USC TRiO Program, I knew that I wanted to expand my experience with student outreach and begin my professional career within the school system. My position with USC TRiO provided me experience working within an urban setting, assisting low-income first generation students, and guiding them for their K-12 journey—as well as preparing them for higher education. I felt ready to work full-time at a local high school, but with the economic downturn, I knew the odds were against me. Ideally, I wanted to go back to my community in Compton and help revamp their counseling program; in reality, however, there were no jobs available within the Compton Unified School District, let alone LAUSD. To view the full post, click here.
Daisy Astorga, M.Ed.
School Counseling, Class of 2011
dastorga@usc.edu
