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Hi everyone! My name is Justin Butac and I'm an SF native. I got my BA in American Studies with a minor in history at The University of Hawaii at Manoa.

What I hope to get most out if this class is an approach to better help the underrepresented students in the city I call home. With the city changing everyday, I would like to help support the students who are often overlooked in San Francisco.

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Hi! My name is Alexa Casale.

I grew up in Miami but I just moved to the city from San Jose and am so excited to be living here and to be a part of USF!! It's so fun being in SF where there is so much to do, so many cool people, and always a nearby view of the ocean!

I took a really cool class in college that helped me understand that "right and wrong" are dependent on the context of your life, usually where you are and where you come from. Even things we consider as medical health facts might be disregarded by other cultures. And we aren't necessarily in the right just because our Western science says so. This class I took, and working with communities from such different backgrounds over the years, has taught me so so much about cultural competence. Still, I know I have a lot more to learn especially in terms of applying the knowledge practically to my counseling role, which is what I hope to gain from the class.

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Hello Everyone! My name is Ana Anguiano. I grew up in Marin County and enjoy being outdoors/ hiking. I majored in psychology and minored in sociology at UC Merced. Go Bobcats!

After graduating I started doing college access/ success non-profit work in San Francisco. Although these past few years I have been working with various families from different cultures, I would say our pre summer course work really exposed me to new insight into race/ racism/ white supremacy, etc.

I hope that after this course I can be confident in providing equitable support/ understanding to families/ students of different cultural backgrounds and be able to sustain difficult racial conversations.

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Hello Everyone! My name is Alvaro Ibarra.

I was born and raised in Hayward, CA. I earned my BA in English from San Diego State University, and moved back to Hayward shortly after. I've spent the last few years working with youth here in the Bay Area, and I currently work as a counselor at a charter high school in Hayward. This also happens to be the high school I graduated from in 2009!

When I'm not working, I enjoy listening to many different kinds of music, doodling, watching anime, playing video games, and writing poetry.

In regards to cross-cultural counseling, our school's counseling team does a great job at making sure that our resources and lessons are accessible to different communities. However, I would like to further improve my skills.

I hope to gain a better understanding of how to more effectively support families from a variety of cultures and communities. As I mentioned, my school's team does a great job of making things accessible, but I would like to learn the skills to move it from accessible to engaging.

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Hi everyone! My name is Dixie Carranza.

I was born in El Salvador and raised in San Francisco since I was about 2 years old. I grew up with a loving family which included my parents, 2 brothers, aunts, cousins and my amazing grandparents. I am the only daughter and the first to go to college in my family. I am super TIA (aunt) to all my nieces and nephews. I have always loved working with kids. I worked in the  school age daycare setting when I began at UC Davis. I received my BS in Human Development & a minor in Psychology. After graduating, I eventually ran a daycare in Dixon, CA before moving back home.  I worked with middle and high school students in the Oakland School District for 6 years & now I have been working at an engineering office for too long.
I love getting into some adventure now and then or water fun. Usually you will catch me hanging out with my family and/or friends. Love spending time with my guy and our 2 fur babies that we rescued.

I have worked with families from various cultures over the years, but have never had any formal experience in cross cultural content.

I am excited to grow more as a person and a counselor through this course. I want to feel more equipped to support students from different cultures.

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Hello! I'm Marissa Ferry.

I was born and raised in a suburb just outside of Portland, OR. I miss the PNW a lot but am excited to be in the Bay! I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychobiology at Santa Clara University and have always loved working with children.

I am a former camp counselor for Camp Kesem, a nonprofit organization that is college student run that puts on a free week of summer camp and provides year-round support for kids affected by a parent's cancer. I was also an EMT while at SCU and have a multitude of interesting, funny, disgusting, difficult, and heart-warming stories.

I don't have much direct experience with cross-cultural content, so I am excited to have a chance to delve deeply into this. Portland was a pretty homogeneously white area, and it is only recently that I have had the opportunity to begin working with and understanding perspectives other than this.

I hope to gain a better understanding of how I can best support under-supported students, especially those of color, while developing a stronger sense of my own identity and how my previous experiences have shaped me.

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Hi everyone! My name is Andrew Cruz.

I am a Bay Area native more specifically from Eastern Menlo Park/East Palo Alto.  I did my undergrad at University of the Pacific where I majored in Sociology with a business minor. After college I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. These experiences helped open my eyes to all the ways our societies systems are set up to benefit some and keep others down. I am excited to continue to learn strategies that elicit systemic change. Since returning from Peace Corps, I have have been a 1st grade teacher where i have gained much practice in classroom management and how to connect with students on a deeper level. This year I will be starting a new role as an after school care coordinator at the same school I have been teaching at.

What I hope to gain from this class is a more well rounded approach to supporting all the students regardless of race and gender so that everyone has a fighting chance to make a change in this world.

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I love the beach, New York City, every single dog that ever existed, Irish dancing, my friends and family, every baby I've ever met, and sunny weather.

I was a Psychology major in undergrad and took a course in Multicultural Psychology. I found it interesting and am eager to learn more! I hope to gain skills in working through cultural differences in counseling.

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Hello! My name is Yaretzie Amaya.

Fun facts:
*My name has a meaning! It means "will always be loved", (my mom found my name in a magazine in Mexico and was determined to name her daughter with that name) LOL
* I was born and raised in Oakland. First generation to receive a bachelors degree and now masters :)
*I love to travel, dance and do adventurous activities (hot air balloon, sky dive, parasailing)
*I am a big Disney fan, LOVE purchasing new shoes and love spending time with my family and boyfriend.

Cross cultural content:
I don't have much experience in that area other than the pre-summer work we did. Definitely need to learn more.

What I hope to gain is more confidence in the world of school counseling and be able to apply all that I am learning in my field site.

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Hello everyone! Hope everyone enjoyed their summer!

About me: I am a first generation, San Francisco native. I've lived in Visitacion Valley my whole life and I currently work at the schools in this neighborhood. I did leave for two years to finish my undergrad at Fresno State. I double majored in Sociology and Chicano Studies, and received a certificate in Applied Sociological Research, all back in 2016. Fresno, is one of those places that holds a special place in my heart.

When I have free time, I like to mindlessly watch Netflix or get lost on the explore page on IG. Not only that, but I spend a lot of time looking up places to visit in Mexico or complaining how much I miss it... I also enjoy watching sunsets and photographing them. Or finding beautiful views.

When it comes to cross cultural content, I know I could always learn more.

What I hope from this course is to use what I learn and be able to apply it at my school site(s) - where I work and where I'm interning at.

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Hello, my name is Kristin Cullen.

I am from So Cal and just officially moved up here to the SF this week. I did my undergrad at Berkeley and got my Bachelors in Public Health. While at Berkeley I played softball for the university as a pitcher. After graduating I took a gap year and then found my way here to USF. For fun I like to workout, read, listen to any kind of music, and travel. Exploring new places especially
those that include bodies of water is my favorite.

I honestly do not have much experience with cross cultural counseling. Our pre-summer coursework on race and racism is probably the most in- depth and relevant experience I have had thus far. Thus, I greatly look forward to learning more about it in this class.

From this class, I hope to gain the confidence to address and discuss cross cultural issues and topics. Sometimes I feel like I don't know enough about specific cross cultural topics to be able to discuss it. So I would love to gain knowledge and then gain confidence so I can feel able to discuss with colleagues or my students.

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Hello! I am Sam Stanley my pronouns are she/her/hers.

I am originally from Washington State, but moved to San Jose two years ago to work for City Year. I super duper miss the PNW, but I am also really loving living in California. I got my BA from Western Washington University in History / Social Studies, so I really enjoy looking at education, policy, and current events from a historical lens.

When I am not working or at school I love drinking absurd amounts of coffee, reading, and exploring the Bay with my partner and our puppy Zelda. I especially love hanging out near bodies of water.

In terms of my education I don't have a whole lot of experience in cross cultural content other than the summer pre-work. It was super growing for me to move to San Jose and work in a community that is mostly culturally different than where I grew up.

I am really excited to dive into this work in this course.

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Hello! My name is EJ Perez

I am really excited to take a deeper dive into the School Counseling Program this semester. Prior to my acceptance at USF, I worked as a special education paraprofessional. I have a culinary and military background and still work at a restaurant part time. Although my background is quite different from my career path now, I have learned valuable skills that I believe will help me become a successful School Counselor.

I am a native of San Francisco and I am fortunate to still call the city home. When I am not at work or school, you’ll typically find me at home with my dog Koji and my houseplants. When I do spend time outside, my partner and I love to be on trails or at parks with our little pup.

I would say that our summer foundations workload on race/racism would be the most in-depth that I have gotten to work with cross cultural content. I feel like I still have much more to learn.

Through this course I hope to become more confident in working with groups of students. I would also love to learn more about cross-cultural content so that I can be a better advocate for students.

A community agreement I can align with is always being present (mind&body) during class time.

Attached is a photo from my trip to Guatemala two years ago. We hiked and camped atop an inactive volcano neighboring Volcán Acatenango and got to see it spew hot lava at night.

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Hello, my name is Camille Weber.

My passion for working with different communities and promoting equity is pretty much why I'm here in this program.  I've worked with youth in rural towns in Oregon, internationally in Cambodia, and am finishing up an assignment currently working as a Job Developer helping people with disabilities find jobs.

I grew up in South San Francisco and obtained my B.A. from Linfield College in English Literature with minors in Political Science and Creative Writing.

Something important to know is that I can get pretty excited talking about social justice issues in the community.  My school site currently has a lot of undocumented and political asylum populations and has seen a rise in suicide and risk assessments as a result to the current political climate.

This semester I would like to accomplish two things: 1. To figure out the best ways to serve undocumented student populations and 2. Examine how my implicit biases may impact the work I do on my school sites and how to best address these biases.

Thanks!

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Hello, my name is Pamela Carmenates, soon to be Pamela Mitropoulos.

I am from So Cal and moved to SF two years ago. I've lived in 4 states and 2 countries.

Interests: anime, manga, art, watching horror movies and exploring cities. I like watching basket ball (lets go LAKERS!)  :)

I obtained my B.S. from Cal Poly Pomona in Urban and Regional Planning.

I work at a K-8 charter school in the Mission.

This semester, I am excited to learn more about how to be an effective counselor, how my culture effects my mindsets and how to practice from a multicultural perspective.

Community agreement: Create a safe space for everyone to share.

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Hello, my name is Jace Marzan.

I am (like everyone else in this class) in my first year in the School Counseling program at USF.  Fun fact: I'm the youngest person in the cohort.  I'm going to be a School Counseling intern at A.P. Giannini middle school in San Francisco Unified School District for the 2019-2020 school year.

I grew up in Daly City and still currently reside in Daly City. I graduated SF State recently in 2018 where I majored in Child and Adolescent Development and minored in education. I learned a little bit about Critical Race Theory and Cultural Relevant Pedagogy/Teaching in my undergraduate. The foundations course pre-summer work also made me dive deeper into cross cultural content.

This semester I hope to learn more about Cross Cultural Counseling Theories and theories involving these topics and how to apply these theories in a counseling setting.

A community agreement I can think of is to respect each others opinions especially if there are differing opinions. Agree to Disagree.

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Welcome to the class! So excited to be part of your journey in becoming a School Counselor! My Name is Zeyda Garcia and I have been working with youth for 12+ years!

I am USF School Counseling Program Alumna and love being able to work with future school counselors. I was an elementary school counselor for 3 years and a 6-12th grade Mental Health Counselor before that. Currently, I work as a Bilingual Mental Health Practitioner with Marin County.

During my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends and loved ones, going to the Ocean, cooking, taking care of my plants, and creating different things.

I am originally from LA but attended SF State and double Majored in Raza Studies and Sociology. This is where my love for social justice, social movements and the power of the collective really grew.

This semester, I hope to learn more about you all and to create a space where we can learn and grow.

See you soon!