THE "ME" IN DAVIDVALENCIA.ME

My name is David Valencia and I am School Counselor, and student advocate. As a recent graduate from San Diego State's nationally recognized and distinguished School Counseling Program, I have made it my mission and personal goal to ensure each student I have the pleasure in working with not only realizes their academic potential, but their worth - to themselves, their family, community and beyond.  

My Academic Journey Thus Far...

My journey begins in fall of 2010, let me take you back.  I was entering my second year of community college at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California.  I was living with my parents, splitting my time between attending school full-time and working long hours as a serving assistant in a restaurant at the local resort.  I was drifting through college, devoid of any sort of direction.  To be honest I was only deluding myself into going through the motions; i.e. finishing school, getting a job, etc. in hopes that something would stick and provide me with some semblance of fulfillment.  In my desperation I sought the advice of one of the academic counselors at San Joaquin Delta College.

And what he said forever changed me.

I remember how vulnerable I felt in his office; the silence between us creating angst and a fear of impending judgment which gripped me with intoxicating anxiety.  After a hastily and seemingly unenthusiastic review of my academic report, the academic counselor finally broke the silence.  Without making eye contact, the academic counselor simply handed me an Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) worksheet and simply stated said: "You need to start getting A’s and B’s, because right now this not good enough.  And yea, if you just follow this you should be fine."

I was appalled by the insincerity behind his gesture.  Is this all that I was worth; five minutes and a piece of paper?  Was this all that the education system could afford me?

Filled with despair, and boiling with anger I vowed that in spite of this counselor I would make it on my own.  And just then I had thought that would consume my mind like a virus and define my next four years:

"I could do your job better than you."  

Fast forward one year, it is now 2011 and I have adjusted my studies at San Joaquin Delta College to reflect my new found conviction, i.e. focusing on social and behavioral sciences and mental health.  Alongside my partner Brittany, I reduced the hours I worked at the restaurant and begun working for my hometown's After School Program as a Recreational Specialist.  It was here where I began to understand how budget cuts and comprehensive reform has rendered our educators and counselors nearly powerless in battling further educational and opportunistic disparities amongst our students, as well as being helpless in providing these students with the personalized educational experience they both need and deserve.

Over the next few years I continued working in various settings within the after school setting as a supervisor, quit my job at the restaurant, and completed my studies at San Joaquin Delta College with two Associate of Arts degrees.  This is when my passion towards furthering my education began to develop, and when I began to consider pursuing a career in education.  No student deserves to walk away from a counselor’s office or homeroom without being given the proper attention, or being inspired with purpose or direction.

Eventually I would transfer to National University to continue my education and work towards earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology; becoming one of the foundational experiences preparing me for life as a School Counselor.  Throughout my tenure with the After School Program I was given the opportunity to work with hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds with incomparable stories of resilience.

In witnessing these disparities I have been made eternally grateful for the opportunities made available to me through my education.  In turn, my successes have made me rightfully indebted to those who cared and sacrificed for me to achieve, thus creating a profound conviction to provide similar efforts towards helping students achieve and experience success in their own education which is why I chose San Diego State University’s School Counseling program following my undergraduate studies at National University.  

Now that I have completed San Diego State University's School Counseling program, I am looking forward to continuing my life's journey, working as a change agent and student advocate and stepping into my own as a School Counselor.

My Educational "Why" Story