Good Morning. My name is Kristin, and I am currently a Freshman at Newmarket Jr./Sr. Highschool. A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to job shadow Ms. Roy, the 6^th Grade Guidance Counselor at Oyster River Middle School.

            For as long as I can remember, I have always been concerned about the people around me, and wanted them to be happy. I was always one of the first girls at the playground to be dragged over to help a girl get up the nerve to talk to her crush, help calm an angry classmate down, or simply give out my advice on a personal issue. But it wasn’t until much more recently that I connected that trait I have to be something to shape a career around. Through the School‑to‑Career Program at my school, I was able to find where I should really go with my life, and now I have a better understanding on how I can ultimately reach my goals.

            The process of actually getting a job shadow was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Ms. Winterbottom had come into my study hall to talk to another student about a job shadow. She asked around if anyone else was interested in setting up one, and I asked if she could arrange a job shadow with someone in a Psychology field. She said she knew the Guidance Counselor at Oyster River, and I said that sounded like something I was looking for. In a matter of days, she tracked me down and told me that I had one set one up in two weeks! I remember just kind of staring at her in awe for a couple of seconds. I was just like, what is she? Superwoman? So the lesson learned is to just go and ask her to arrange something, and don’t get all stressed or intimidated over it. You will be glad you did, because the one thing she doesn’t do is nag you until you set something up with her. She is putting you in the hands of your own future, which I greatly admire.

            One of my tasks before I could do the job shadow was to write a resume. I wasn’t looking forward to it, and I thought it was going to be tedious and that it would take forever. But it was actually really cool to look back at all of my accomplishments. I also know which areas I could have more information in. This is helpful to know when I’m planning things regarding community service hours as well as possibly trying more kinds of extra‑curricular activities in the future, so I’m well‑rounded.

            So, the weeks passed by, and it is finally time for my job shadow. As soon as we get there, three six grade girls are waiting to greet me. They were very sweet and showed me where to sign in as a visitor, and told me about what they knew about the Guidance Office. Ms. Roy came in and showed me all around the main wing of the school near her office. She explained what her job entailed, as well as what she needed for schooling beforehand. It seemed that although she was always busy, its still a fun environment to be in, because you are mainly working with students and their families all day long. At lunch I got to talk to a group of girls who usually eat with her. All the kids were very nice, but the funniest thing was that the situation made it seem like I was an adult, while in reality, I was only three years older than them. I think that I would enjoy a job similar to hers.

            I learned a lot about myself and my future throughout this experience and I’m very glad I was given this opportunity.

Thank you and have a great day.