MC Counselor Victor Baez works at his computer Photo Credit | Jenna Nicolas
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The new face of MC counseling

Throughout the year, MC accepts and welcomes new students alongside new staff. Although MC counselor Victor Baez has been a member of the red sea for two years now, this was his first year as a full-time school counselor. The previous year he was an intern.

“I’ve been with the district as an intern,” Baez said “I was an intern at Abraxas [Continuation High School] and [MC] last year. This is my second year as a full-time counselor in the district.” Inspired by the counselors that guided him, Baez decided to reciprocate his initial career path in hospitality to pursue education.

MC Counselor Victor Baez Photo Credit | Jenna Nicolas

“During undergrad I worked with a lot of after school programs, programs helping minorities get into college. I knew that was something I was heavily involved in and I always wanted to do something more,” Baez said.  “One of the best ways for me to give back was to get into education—get into counseling—because there were a lot of people that helped me get to the places [I have been] and through the education that I am doing. I wanted [to give back in that way] to the students.”

Baez contributes to the counseling team here at MC. By working with any student, Baez is able to help the other counselors when they are busy.

“I support each and every one of the counselors so if they need me to check on certain students I do that, there are activities I put together as well” Baez said. “Besides helping the counselors I also have some things I like to take on [like] getting as many students exposed to opportunities beyond high school.”

As a strong supporter for wellness, Baez hopes to spread awareness about its importance.

“I am a huge advocate for wellness because I know that it can really impact a students performance,” Baez said. “What that may be is if they’re feeling stressed, helping them with coping strategies, if they feel disconnected helping them to connect back with the campus community. If they don’t have their basic needs met then helping them to find that.”

He hopes to impact as many students as he can, whether that’s through personal support or college help.

“These four years can go by really fast, but these four years can also help you plan for what’s after high school. [I want to let] them have the opportunity to go see other places besides our community. [Whether thats] college tours, college fairs, or just field trips to get them exposed to different things” Baez said.

Although Baez has been involved with many schools across the district, he genuinely expresses the concerns and care that a counselor should display. He is passionate about his career and truly hopes to positively impact the students here at MC.

Written by Jana Ariss

Jana is a Senior at MC and the Co-Editor in Chief of The MC Sun.

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