Ms. Goodman has begun her first year as a guidance counselor at BTHS. We invite her to share her thoughts on being at BTHS and advice for students.
Aleicia Zhu: Welcome to Biotech, Ms. Goodman! We're very excited to have you here as a guidance counselor, and we're very, very grateful for your presence. Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, your interests, or anything else you want to share with us.
Ms. Goodman: I have been a counselor for 16 years and worked at Sayreville High School for my whole career. I also specialize in college advising. I have a certificate now, from Columbia University, the college advising certificate. So I am very much enjoying helping you guys through this process so far. And I have two boys, a nine and a half-year-old and a five and a half-year-old. I like cooking and decorating
Aleicia Zhu: You have some wonderful hobbies. How would you say you've adapted to being at Biotech?
Ms. Goodman: I think that it was no a little hard coming into the new school year but also coming, you know, into a new environment and a new setting. But I am really enjoying working with such motivated students, and everybody's been super friendly and welcoming. There are kids coming in and teachers coming in, just introducing themselves. The parents here have been great. So, overall, very happy to be here.
Aleicia Zhu: You've adapted very well! We're very happy to have you here. Is there anything that students can do to make your job easier?
Ms. Goodman: You know, honestly, it's just reaching out, letting me know when they have problems so we can fix them. It would be about getting on the same page in terms of what types of services and things a counselor does for their students and getting that information out there to them. I like, as you know, I created a Google Classroom for my seniors, you know, just kind of taking what I put out there, seriously, because it's important. I'm not trying to bore anybody, I just want everybody to get through, you know, the college process the right way or, you know, just different things in different grade levels that are important. meeting certain milestones, so everybody stays on track.
Aleicia Zhu: Do you have any advice for students about college or just any wisdom?
Ms. Goodman: I think it's really important, when it comes to college, to follow your own mind your own heart, and to try not to listen to what other people are saying too much. You know, it's very competitive here. Everybody is so smart and so motivated and a lot of students do have similar interests. It's hard not to get caught up in what everybody else is saying. I think it's important to be true to yourself when planning for the future. Also, just day to day with a person, do the right thing.
Aleicia Zhu: Of course, it's important to find your own fit and to follow the golden rule. There are many different ways to get to where you want to be, and there's not just one path for everybody. Exactly. Thank you so much for your time. It was wonderful to learn more about you.