Can you turn this into a essay? Please add a introduction and a conclusion. Also what ethical codes from ASCA that I can use to strengthen up my paper.

What attracted me to becoming a School Counselor?

• One of my first inspirations for becoming a school counselor was because of my family, where some of them are teachers
  • Both my grandmother and aunt was teachers so I was inspired by their work that they have done
• As I was entering my senior year of high school after working as a Summer Camp Counselor for the YMCA of Greater Springfield, I have had thoughts of becoming a teacher. However, after doing research of the different colleges and universities which had education majors, I have realized that there was a lot of work involved that I had to do to becoming a teacher and the number classes that I would had to take to become a teacher, I have decided to put that aspiration on the back burner and focused on other aspirations that I have had in mind.
• During my collegiate experience at Westfield State University, I majored in Communications thinking that I was going to pursue a career as a professional filmmaker. After taking a video production class I have lost interest in that.
• One of my major goals in college was to get involved on campus
  • In order for me to personally grow and develop as a student at Westfield State I have become in the Urban Education Program and the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) Program at the university. Both of these programs support students who are considered to be a first generation, including myself. Not only do these programs provide me with academic support, but they also provide me with different leadership opportunities as well.These leadership experiences confirmed that I want to continue to make a difference in education.
• After getting involved I have automatically fell in love with the college environment, which led me to thinking that I wanted to pursue a career in Higher Education.
  • After graduating from Westfield State with my Bachelors degree in Communication I have pursued a Master's Degree in Higher Education Adminstration from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst.
• My graduate school journey really didn't go the way I planned. During my first year of graduate school, I've faced many challenges finding a graduate assistantship to help me fund my education, as well as adjusting to the graduate school coursework as well as the UMass environment. Because of these challenges I've experienced post grad depression and anxiety which also led me to dropping out after the first semester. Even though in my mind I was ready to quit, something in my heart told me to stay and never give up. Luckily, during my second year I finally found a graduate assistanthip as an Assistant Residence Director in a residence hall that is in a LTBTQ plus inclusive setting. Some of my responsibilities in this role included effectively training, supervising and evaluatimg 19-20 resident assistants on their job performance, serving as a co-advisor for the Hall Council, as well as working collaboratively with student groups to plan and host community building activities and social events related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Overall, it was a wonderful experience but I still didn't feel complete as during the Spring semester when the entire world experiences the Coronavirus pandemic which focused us to transition to remote learning for the remainer of the semester. Around that time, I've started to become depressed again as I began to lost confience and hope that I can still do my job in the new remote world. However, I sucked it up and tried to make the best of that situation as I was finishing my last year of graduate school. Unfortunately, I didn't have an in-person graduation due to the COVID-19 restrictions but I was still very proud of myself that graduated and how far I came into my journey.
• After graduate school, I've faced many challenges with finding a full-time position in the higher education industry. After going to plenty of interviews and changing my resume plenty of times unfortunately I still struggled with finding employment full-time. I strongly believed the reason behind was because of my lack of professional experience as well as still living with the COVID-19 restrictions.
• A year later, I worked part-time as an Administrative Assistant in the Academic Advising Office at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) as a starting point to my aspiration in working in higher education. In this role,I was responsible for assisting with daily operations including schedule advising appointments for students, data entry, greeting visitors, answering phones, and collaborating with Academic Counselors who worked in the office.
• During my time working at STCC I became very inspired by their work that I envisioned myself working in advising one day. I also began to reflect on my educational journey with my Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), I've decided that it was time for me to rethink my career. I knew that I still wanted to pursue a career in education but with my growth mindset I strongly believe that my aspirations are a lot deeper than higher education. I want to be able to help students in the newer generation find themselves and be able to support the academically, socially, and emotionally just like my teachers, paraprofessionals, school counselors, speech thrapearists were able to help me find myself and my voice. After that reflection, that was the moment that I knew that I wanted to become a School Counselor, which led me pursuing a second master's degree in School Counseling at Springfield College.

What school level am I interested in and why?

• I am interested in working with high school students not only because I believe that I am able to talk to them like adults but because I strongly believe that I can get this school level prepared for access and equity to college readiness. I also believe that I can also help them find themselves as to who they are as individuals and help them reach their highest potential during their time in high school
• I am currently working at a high school as a Special Education Paraprofessional.Some of my responsibilities in this role include assisting teachers in various subjects like English and Science in a general education setting as well as providing coverage for other teachers whenever they are needed. Other responsibilities include supporting students with IEP plans in social, emotional and behavioral development as well as supporting direct instruction to students individually or in small groups. Currently in this role, I was supporting a Special Education teacher who teaches students who are on the autism spectrum.
• High school is a time when students are making important decisions about their future. Therefore, I believe as a future school counselor I am able to provide guidance that directly influences their life trajectory
• Working in a high school setting, I would be able to assist students in diverse challenges from academic struggles to social anxieties, allowing them to utilize a variety of counseling skills.
• High school is a prime time to assist students with career exploration, college applications, and job readiness skills.

How do I envision myself in my role as a professional school counselor in the next 8 to 10 years?

• Currently as a School Counseling graduate student I will be having an opportunity to gain practicum experience in both School Counseling and School Adjustment Counseling, which will ultimately help me decide which area best suits me.
• Once I am done with the program, I plan on working in this field in the Springfield Public Schools system, preferably in a high school setting.
• I also envision myself advocating for students and addressing very important topics like racial inequality in the educational system,LGBTQ and disability oppression as well as to find ways to spread awareness towards those issues.
• Once I gain more experience and feel like I am willing to grow, I may pursue a Doctoral Degree in Educational Psychology so I can became a School Psychologist.

What do I hope students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community will gain from your expertise as a professional?

• My passion behind this field and how I genuinely care about helping students reach their highest potential.

References:

Edwards, C. N., & Graham, M. A. (2023).Foundations of School Counseling: Innovation in Professional Practice. Springer Publishing Company.

American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/Ethical-Responsibilities/ASCA-Ethical-Standards-for-School-Counselors-(1)