Counselor Angelina Coulson has always had a passion for college and career readiness counseling.
Albeit a unique passion, she discovered this interest as a part of the Michigan College Access Network—or MCAN—following her college years.
“After college, I was an MCAN college advisor on the east side of [Michigan],” Coulson said. “That’s what sparked my passion for college and career readiness and led to me pursuing a school counseling degree at [Grand Valley State University], so that got me to the west side of Michigan. I fell in love with it and finished my degree.”
Whether it’s my caseload or not, I want students to feel comfortable and know that they have a safe person in the building to talk to
— Angelina Coulson
After beginning her counseling career as a middle school counselor at a nearby school, Coulson soon realized that it wasn’t a perfect fit for her. There was still one thing missing while she was there: college and career readiness.
Following her move to FHC, Coulson is making sure to try and provide a warm and welcoming environment for everybody. With the stresses of today’s world, she understands that there are challenges, and she embraces that when trying to better connect with the students and staff around her.
“[Providing an inviting environment] is one of the things that I focus a lot of my time on,” Coulson explained. “Whether it’s my caseload or not, I want students to feel comfortable and know that they have a safe person in the building to talk to. [It could be] in the hallways, just saying ‘hi’ and being a familiar face, being visible throughout the building, and slowly building up that connection. Hopefully, over time, that will [help students to] feel able to come see me or another counselor for guidance.”
In any case, Coulson appreciates the environment at FHC as a whole and strives to embody the genial atmosphere through her work and communicative style here.
Perhaps above all, Coulson loves to be in a caring, loving atmosphere, and she does her best to allow this considerable space in her life and work.
“I love community,” Coulson said. “Non-judgmental, safe spaces. I know that’s not an experience that everybody has. Somehow creating that—not only in the counseling office but all around the school—could really make all students feel welcome.”
Coulson understands that, especially in this day and age, problems can arise, stress can increase, and chaos can appear, and she uses this understanding to better her relationships with those around her.
As a new staff member to the school, Coulson also focuses on the attributes that she can carry in herself to better function in the school setting, whether it be with students or other staff.
“An attribute that I really value in myself is the ability to meet students and staff where they’re at,” Coulson said. “That’s something that really helps me to help them. Having open, honest conversations helps all of us.”
In her new position at FHC, Coulson wants to make sure that everybody understands her place and that she is here to help. The counseling office is there for a reason, and students should be able to utilize that to their fullest potential.
“I want everybody to know that, as counselors, a big part of what we do is the academic [matters],” Coulson explained, “like scheduling and preparing for what’s next. That’s not all we do, though. We do the social/emotional piece, the college and career readiness piece, and the academic piece. Of course, I love to see students for schedules, but if someone is struggling with anything at school or home, we want them to come see us. If we can’t help, then we will get them the answer and point them in the right direction.”
