My name is Allyson Dexter, and I will be working together with students and families whose last names begin with Fe-Le during the 2008-2009 school year. Being a part of the CCA counseling department since its beginning has been an extremely rewarding, challenging, and exciting experience – I feel so privileged to have been a part of its growth, and now part of such a dynamic team.

 As a high school counselor, my purpose is to guide students toward positive academic and social choices that are right for them. It is my goal to help students define what is important to them both educationally and personally, and to support them in their pursuit of the post high school option of their choice. While I encourage students to challenge themselves both academically and socially by participating in a rigorous curriculum and involving themselves in both school and non-school related activities, I urge them to make thoughtful selections.  This means choosing a course load that is reasonable for them and participating in activities that not only interest them, but activities they consider a valuable use of their time. All students should have a schedule that allows for time spent doing activities they enjoy, homework and studying, and time leftover to be spent with the people who enrich their lives. High school years are some of the most important and memorable years of a student's life. Students who balance their lives with family, friends, school, and extra-curricular activities are usually happier and tend to be more successful in many aspects of their life.

 For the 2008-2009 school year, I look forward to continuing building relationships with the families I've already had the opportunity to work with, anticipate welcoming new students and their families into the Canyon Crest academy family, and hope that we can work together to guide our students toward a future full of opportunity.

 A little about myself:

I come to you from the northern end of California, from a quaint town in Marin County called San Anselmo. Marin was a beautiful place to grow up and to this day, it has managed to maintain much of its' small town charm. It wasn't until 1997 when I graduated from *Redwood High School that I left the comforts of Marin to begin my post secondary studies at **Santa Barbara City College. After two glorious, beach-filled years spent in beautiful Santa Barbara, I transferred to the University of California, San Diego where I received a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development, and a minor in Psychology.

 Two months after graduating, I began working as a teaching assistant at Del Mar Heights Elementary, while maintaining my previous jobs as a private tutor and a nanny. Although I knew I wanted to pursue a career in education, I wasn't sure the exact path I wanted to take. Fortunately, at Del Mar Heights I had the opportunity to explore the different career-paths in the education field. The teachers, special education staff, and the school psychologist provided me with the opportunity to ***job shadow each of them, enabling me to see what each of their jobs specifically entailed. Through my job shadow experiences I was able to identify the aspect of education I enjoyed most. I found that when I added up all of my likes, the one profession I had not yet been exposed to, a school guidance counselor, fit the profile of my ideal job.

 One year later, I pursued a Masters in Counseling at the University of San Diego where I received my Pupil Personnel Services credential in K-12 school counseling. During my graduate studies, I held two part-time jobs. I worked as a counseling assistant at Sunset High School, where I worked with approximately 180 students in an alternative setting. Sunset was a wonderful place to work- it provides options for students who may work better in a less traditional high school setting. My other job was working as an academic advisor to student-athletes at San Diego State University.  There I worked closely with Aztec football and baseball team members and their coaching staff, assisting with all aspects of academic support.  The goal of this position was to ensure that each athlete I worked with remained academically eligible during their sport’s season by providing them with the support services that met their individual needs.

 In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my dogs, traveling, being outdoors, house projects (one day I want to be a house flipper- maybe when the markets better), enjoy time with my friends (they are like my family), and always look forward to my annual visit to Seattle to see my mom (my best friend in the entire world).  

*Fun Fact: Robin Williams, the actor, graduated from my high school.

**Community College is a great alternative route to 4-year college; and it's an excellent way to save money.

***Participating in a job shadow/ internship experience can be an invaluable process to help you select a career, trade, or college major or area of study.