Describe your personal, educational, and professional experiences and how they informed your decision to pursue a graduate degree.
Beginning my journey at UCLA, I have always enjoyed learning and expanding my knowledge. During my senior year, I was unsure about what job I wanted after graduation and decided to postpone this difficult decision by applying to graduate school. I knew I wanted to work in education so I decided to look for Masters in Education programs and LMU’s School Counseling program, CSU Dominguez Hills Counseling program, CSU Long Beach Counseling program appealed to me the most. I decided to apply to graduate school since I was not ready to go into the job market after undergrad.
What challenges did you encounter along your educational trajectory? How did you overcome those challenges?
My biggest challenge was financial aid! I was not aware that graduate school offered minimal financial aid and it wasn’t as much as my undergraduate years. I overcame this challenge by talking and receiving help from my parents. Another issue was balancing a full-time job and commuting to graduate school classes which are usually late at night. It would have been more beneficial to take more online classes instead of commuting after a tiring day.
What advice do you have for individuals who are interested in pursuing a graduate degree?
Make sure you have had experience in the graduate degree that you’re pursuing before you apply. I did City Year my first year of Graduate school and it solidified my decision of becoming a school counselor rather than becoming a teacher. This helps ensure your decision about your graduate degree.
What did you enjoy most about your graduate/professional program?
The classes! The topics of my classes were extremely interesting and relevant to the school counseling population I want to work with. I also enjoyed my professors, all of them were understanding and willing to learn my name and hear about my experiences. They are honestly genuinely caring individuals and extremely understanding.
Monique currently serves as a High School Scholars Program Coordinator at Dolores Mission School where she manages scholarship monies for Dolores Mission School alumni that help cover Catholic High School tuition, books, uniform costs, etc. She also ensures program participants are supported throughout high school by making sure they are meeting their A-G requirements, taking the SAT/ACT, and helping with the college application process.
