- Can you tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to Hastings High School?
So I actually went through the whole Hastings District, from Kindergarten through 12th grade (I graduated from HHS in 2020)- I still live in Hastings, actually. I went to college at SUNY Oneonta, and graduated last May (2024) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies and Sport Management.
I originally was working downstairs in the Athletics Department as a leave-replacement from July until November. I was later approached about an opportunity to continue working in the district in the HS Counseling Office after hearing that Ms. Cocucci was retiring at the end of December.
So, now I work up in the Counseling Office during the beginning of the day, and then go down to the Athletics office in the afternoon to do their social media (@hohathletics on Instagram and Twitter) and gameday “stuff” (I couldn’t think of a better word, but I feel like that’s a good enough word for it).
- What does your role as a School Counseling Office Assistant involve?
In a broad sense – answering the phone and answering emails. In a more specific sense – I help organize meetings for the students and their counselor, sending first-quarter and mid-year transcripts for seniors to their college interests, organizing meetings for students with accommodations, scheduling the college representative visits (which will be starting back up soon), etc.
There’s little things here and there, and things I’m probably forgetting that I may need to take care of, but I would say that is what a typical day is like for me. I also take care of sending out alumni transcripts for any past graduate of Hastings.
- Has the transition into this new position been easy or hard for you? Why?
I think it helps a ton that I went to school here, so I know my way around the building and I know most of the teachers from having them as a student. It would have probably been ten times harder had I not had the chance to shadow Ms. Cocucci before she retired, but I got a good grasp on the role, and I text her pretty much every day with different questions that she’s more than happy to answer.
I also have to give a shout out to the counselors (Ms. Aufiero, Ms. Shaw, Ms. White, and Ms. Quigley) for answering any questions I have (and there’s usually a lot…). But overall, I would say the transition has been fun, nonetheless.
- What are you most excited about in this new position? What are you most nervous about?
I think I’m most excited to be back at HHS. It’s been very fun to go from a student to a staff member. Everyone has been super nice to me and I appreciate that so much. It’s been really interesting interacting with teachers who I had as a student [in] a more professional sense. I also enjoy being at all the home athletics games cheering on the players and creating fun graphics that I get to see posted all over social media.
As for what I’m most nervous about, I’m honestly not sure…I would say maybe messing something up. But, I work in two great offices, and all the people I get to work with are so awesome and helpful.
- If you could give students one piece of advice for success, what would it be?
I would say for anybody: don’t be afraid to ask questions – if you’re confused about something, the best thing you can do for yourself and your education is to ask questions. There were so many times where I wanted clarification on something, and I made sure to ask either a friend to explain it to me, or went to the teacher during lunch or after school to talk about whatever the topic was we were learning.
- What’s your favorite book, movie, or TV show, and why?
This is honestly a tough question… I would say my favorite TV show of all time is probably Friends, but I’ve watched a lot of good TV shows recently. I’m always looking for good recommendations for books, TV shows, or movies, so if anyone wants to recommend one, I’m all for recommendations – my email is [email protected], please send me some good ones.
