As a young girl growing up in Salinas, California, Jerly Alcala-Gomez dreamed of being an astronaut. Because her parents had never graduated high school and she needed help with college applications, she sought out her school counselor for help. This experience with her counselor inspired Alcala Gomez to follow in her counselor’s footsteps in helping students with the college application process, as well as assisting students with other challenges that they face in school.
As a counselor at Highland, Alcala-Gomez must be ready for anything that may come up. Despite scheduled meetings or plans for her workday, things tend to pop up that take priority, making her days often unpredictable and variable.
“There are no normal days, everything is so different. Like, yesterday, I had eight CCRs where I met with parents, and we talked about the four years [plan]. But there could be a crisis that comes up and I have to do a suicide risk assessment, or there might be a parent that’s really worried about their child, or a teacher,” Alcala-Gomez said. “I don’t know what I’m going to walk into every day, but it’s great that this role is so unique because I get to have the academic, but also the emotional piece of it, and the future part of it, and it ties everything together.”
In her free time, Alcala-Gomez enjoys spending time in her garden and often can be found baking or cooking in her kitchen.
“I love winter gardening. I just planted tulips and garlic, and I have pumpkins and carrots,” Alcala-Gomez said. “I joke with my husband that I love the ‘trad wife’ life, because this past thanksgiving break, I was decorating for the holidays, and I love baking and cooking, and just being homey.”
Alcala-Gomez originally worked as a counselor at Glendale middle school for six years. Then she transitioned to working at Juan Diego Catholic High School before finding her way to Highland.
At Highland, Alcala-Gomez helps students and parents with a range of concerns. This can include helping students with college applications, applying for scholarships, helping with academics, relationships with teachers, mental health, students who are struggling to make friends, and even things as simple as helping students draft emails.
“When students are struggling, they are so afraid to ask for help and let a teacher know. I will have students here, and I will help draft emails, or we’ll practice what it sounds like to talk to a teacher. But I think communicating with teachers is a big one, or just adults in general,” Alcala-Gomez said. “And then, when students are feeling super behind, [and] not even knowing where to start, and they think like ‘well, I’ll just take the F for the term’, and so, sitting down with them and making a plan, step by step, to get them out of that hole of failing everything.”
After Alcala-Gomez had finished her college applications with help from her counselor, she attended Saint Benedict college in Minnesota for four years, graduated, and later completed her master’s degree at the University of Utah.
“I’m pretty creative. I have a unique problem-solving skill,” Alcala-Gomez said. “If a student has an issue, [I’m good at] finding different ways to address it, and then making sure the student is willing to make that choice. Like ‘we gotta do this, but here’s the ways that we could do it.’ I think that that creative mindset helps.”
Looking back, Alcala-Gomez attributes her career choice and college education to her school counselor, who guided and inspired her all those years ago.
