by Andy Ortiz, Managing Editor

St. John Bosco High School welcomes two new academic counselors and one new international counselor, who all plan to help students be their best in their education and get on the road to college.

The purpose of the Counseling Department is to help students excel in their academics, help ace their classes, get them into college and help manage their mental health. Bosco’s Lead Counselor, Mr. Basil Totah, explains that the counselors’ main goal overall is to give the Braves the greatest high school experience.

“Our job is really to make sure that students have a great high school experience and to help students any way we can,” said Mr. Totah.

Bosco’s new International Student Counselor is Ms. Zhangli “Maggie” Zheng. Her job revolves around helping international students and communicating with those student’s families while interpreting students’ international transcripts.

“I used to be an international student. I know their situation, their language barrier and maybe some emotional problems like homesickness,” said Ms. Zheng.

She herself was born and raised in China, and came to the U.S after high school to study at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Ms. Zheng started as a teacher with a math degree, but she soon got into counseling from there. 

Ms. Zheng used to work part-time in the dorms housing Bosco’s international students. Once she noticed that there was a new position open for a new International Student Counselor, she jumped at the opportunity. 

“I worked as a part-time in the dorms last semester, and this semester there was one position open for International Student Counselor, then I said, ‘Oh it’s my turn,’” said Ms. Zheng.

She recounts how she had a bad experience with an international counselor when she was younger, and how she wants to make sure no other international student at Bosco faces the same problems.

“I did not have a good experience with my counseling agent, because I don’t think they helped a lot or gave me a perfect plan,” said Ms. Zheng. “That’s why I was determined to become a counselor and work for international students, because I want to help them prepare for their education.”

Ms. Zheng is hoping that she will help international students as much as possible and give them the best Bosco experience one could ask for.

This year Bosco has also brought in Ms. Sharon Wilke Otrembiak as a new counselor. She grew up on a farm in Illinois and was the first one in her family to graduate from high school and college.

“I see education as a way for a person to move forward in life,” said Ms. Otrembiak.

She has been in education for 25 years as an elementary school teacher. She got into counseling because she was interested in hearing the stories of her students. Having been in counseling for a number of years, Ms. Otrembiak wants to be able to talk with students and guide them through their problems.

“When I taught second grade, the kids would come to my desk and tell me stories, like little ones do,” she said. “I was really more interested in hearing the problems they were having that they needed help with.”

She puts a heavy emphasis on helping students whenever they are feeling rough. Ms. Otrembiak works with students on checking their grades, working on time management and planning for college life and their careers. 

School and colleges can be tough, so Ms. Otrembiak wants the Braves to know that she is there for them to provide them support in their academics, emotions and college.

Ms. Bridget Nagarajan also joined the Counseling Department this school year. She has been teaching for 20 years, and she had only been counseling for one year prior to coming to Bosco.

“I’ve always kind of wanted to do counseling, but I was teaching and raising a family and didn’t really have the time to go back to school,” said Ms. Nagarajan. “But once [COVID-19] hit I had the opportunity to go back to school, so I just decided to go for it.”

Way before Ms. Nagarajan was a counselor or a teacher, she served in the U.S. military. She joined boot camp in 2000. Six months after she got out of boot camp, the 9/11 attacks happened, and she was deployed from the reserve troops to Afghanistan and served one year as a military police officer.

“It was very eye-opening,” she said. “I was quite young at the time so it really expanded my world view, and just really made me appreciate the luxuries we have in America.”

During her time deployed in Afghanistan, she learned important values that she wishes to take into her new role here at Bosco.

“Don’t waste your time in life,” she said. “I think every person takes advantage of the fact that we’re living and breathing, but you’ll realize how precious every moment is [from military service].”

As a counselor now, Ms. Nagarajan wants to be able to connect with her students and push them to pursue their dreams. She will make sure that she regularly checks in on her students and encourages them to complete the goals that they have. She wants the Braves to know that she accepts walk-ins to her office if anyone ever needs to vent or talk.

All of the new counselors can be found in the counseling office on the first floor of the 200 building across from the student store.