Sergio Ariel Blanco
M.S.Ed in School Counseling, Class of 2020
As the world was undergoing a collective change on a massive scale, I was both completing my M.S.Ed. program (Counseling) and onboarding at my then-new employer (Belvidere High School) before graduation was upon me.
What felt like a tumultuous transition (especially amidst a pandemic) in retrospect feels like it only really lasted a few days. That said, I just reached my second year as a high school counselor, and there continue to be days where there seem to be more questions than answers. However, this is not new to me because I had my therapeutic process in which I had to face the unknown time and time again.
I knew that being a school counselor was more administrative than clinical (which is why I chose the “school” route) and that all of the new (upon hire) practices and procedures would change as the world changed. Presently, my team and I still troubleshoot the day-to-day administrative tasks presented to us, assisting students with their mental, social and emotional health, all while (successfully) maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Life has a way of showing me that I am here along for the ride. The universe has a way of (sometimes) cushioning that reality. My gratitude toward my privilege in accessing higher education, making the last one-and-a-half years possible, remains a part of my daily thought. I am grateful to those I have encountered along the way and look forward to what my future has yet to reveal to me.
Lucy Parker-Barnes
Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, 2018
Hello, all! My name is Dr. Lucy Parker-Barnes. I graduated from NIU in 2018 with a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. Since that time, I have worked in a plethora of academic and clinical settings. These include my current roles as an assistant professor at Gannon University, a clinical lecturer and supervisor at Northwestern University and a Pennsylvania licensed professional counselor and certified clinical mental health counselor. I specifically teach various counseling courses including Trauma and Disaster Counseling, Counseling Research, Appraisal in Counseling and others. Since 2018, I have taught over 10 different course types, presented at more than seven different conferences and written various manuscripts related to counseling.
My recent research interests include various intersectional advocacy including a recently accepted manuscript about BIPOC LGBTQIA+ Advocacy in the Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy. I plan to continue research and publications centering in the intersection of classism. I also currently participate in a nationwide counselor education faculty research group, which is earning IRB approval to Explore Classism in Counselor Education.
Along with my other mentioned research interests, I am also a member of a recent MotherScholars group, which is a group for working mothers, who have created scholarship in the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Along with MotherScholars, I stay active in many professional organizations including the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, the American Counseling Association, and others. I also apply much of my professional experience and scholarship to practice by facilitating a student research group at Gannon University and applying best practices in my clinical work.
Of all of my engagements, one of my favorite current roles includes that I spend time working with supervisees in case supervision. Another meaningful professional role of which I routinely engage outside of my professorial role includes seeing about four private practice clients via my small, telehealth private practice, each week.
I am honored and humbled to represent the NIU Counseling Education Program as the time in my doctoral program shaped me, both professionally and personally.
My story very much fits the colloquial saying that “you get much of yourself out of graduate school …” (Wickman, 2015). I learned so much about counseling, education and who I am from my time at NIU. My self-reflection and growth were in part due to my experience as a mentee to many amazing professors including Dr. Suzanne Degges-White, Dr. Scott Wickman, Dr. Theresa Fisher and others.
These and other mentors at NIU helped me to prepare for my role as a current tenure-track assistant professor and clinician in many ways. As a student at NIU, I was supported, challenged and encouraged to build my professional identity in a way that has catalyzed my current post-graduation success.
