Interview with Katie Alvarez
Katie Alvarez graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Mass Communication (Go Bears!). She is currently an Admissions & Financial Aid Counselor at USC.
Why Educational Counseling?
So many reasons! To keep it brief: I value education highly and have a deep respect for those pursuing a higher education. Also, I love working with people and I like to solve problems.
How did you make the decision to go to school part time?
As a counselor at the financial aid office here at USC, I know first-hand how expensive college can be – especially for graduate students. For that reason, I decided that it would make more financial sense to keep my full-time job and attend school part-time. Also, I strongly believe that building up my work experience will help me reach my career goals.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
In five years I hope to be a counselor at a community college in the Bay Area – learning my way around the community college setting (getting to know my colleagues and how to use them as resources, getting to know the students I serve, participating in their communities, etc.) and especially becoming familiar with the realities, opportunities and limitations of my role as a counselor.
In ten years I will have had enough experience as a counselor at a community college to be able to maximize my power in this role to increase the quality and access of the counseling services offered. I’m creative and I love to solve problems; I will be using these skills to improve counseling services.
Favorite class or professor so far:
Creating Communities of Interest (EDUC 508) with Dr. Alan Green. My cohort was the first to take this new required class and we had to be very flexible with the changes to the course as it continued to develop and evolve during the semester – you’re welcome future EC cohorts! Full disclosure: I wasn’t comfortable with the hybrid structure (in-class and online participation) and I wasn’t particularly excited about the content of this course. However, the conceptual framework assignment in this course was the most eye-opening experience I’ve had in the program so far: I was able to create a living document that represents who I am as a professional. I had a lot of fun with this assignment, and I constantly refer to it in my work and in my life.
One thing you wish you did differently during your first semester?
I wish I had participated more during class discussions – in grad school, this is where the fun takes place!
One thing you look forward to this semester?
This semester I’m looking forward to challenging myself academically: thinking critically about what I read, hear and experience; bringing in outside knowledge and readings; and completing assignments with the purpose of personal enrichment.
Advice for students interested in working full-time and going to school part-time:
Don’t be afraid – it’s totally doable! It takes a lot of planning, self-discipline and especially time management. In my first semester, I never studied for more than three hours at a time, never after 9pm (no all-nighters!), and NEVER on weekends. I took three classes and managed to earn a 4.0 – all while working full-time and maintaining my social life 🙂.
Angela Jilliene Pan is a first-year student in the ME – Educational Counseling program. She is a native Angeleno who received her BA in Psychology & Social Behavior with a minor in Educational Studies from UC Irvine. She enjoys painting, hiking, baking, and finding new places to eat. She especially loves going to Disneyland. Because Angela has been a transfer student and went to six institutions to complete her Bachelor’s degree, she is interested in freshman and transfer student success.
