From living in Mexico through some of her student life to moving back to San Jose, Calif. to further her education, new SCHS counselor, Daniela Azuela, uses her previous experiences to help students build their futures.
Prior to working at SCHS, Azuela worked for five years as a counselor at other schools around California, including Mendocino College and several middle schools and high schools.
“Last year I was the 8th grade counselor at a middle school, and the year before that, I worked at a high school,” Azuela said. “I really enjoyed it, and that’s why I wanted to go to high school again.”
Azuela lived in many places growing up, but her home was always in San Jose. She was born in San Jose and lived there for most of her life. When Azuela was ten years old, however, her family moved to Mexico and lived there for six years.
During Azuela’s first two years in high school, she attended a school in Mexico. Since half of her high school years were out of the country, when she transferred to Del Mar High School in San Jose, Azuela did not meet the A-G requirements.
“I felt like I didn’t get the information that I needed to make a decision to go to a university,” Azuela said. “I felt like I was capable, but I didn’t meet the admission requirements.”
Azuela is a first generation student, so when she went to De Anza College and transferred to University of California, Davis, she felt she could not ask her parents for help since they never went to college. Instead, she used the resources on campus to get her questions answered. Azuela’s situation, however, inspired her career.
“My personal experience made me want to be a counselor so that way if I ever came across a student who was in a similar situation as me, I want to give them information so that they can make a decision because I wasn’t getting the information,” Azuela said. “I didn’t know what options I had.”
In addition to her own experiences, working with diverse students in various situations – such as Spanish speaking students, those living in urban areas, and students attending more populated schools – helped Azuela as a counselor.
“One size doesn’t fit all,” Azuela said.