Alyssa Garrity
Counseling with creativity and empathy through leadership and advocacy
Counseling is not something you fall into as a profession. Counseling requires a dedicated passion that is dictated by your personal journey.
During my undergraduate years at UNCG, I knew I had the empathy skills to help people in the ways I desired. I wanted to look at people holistically, both physically and mentally. I wanted to be the bridge between “just making it” and fully thriving. With the belief that all people are inherently good and capable of change, I set forth to continue my education in counseling. My journey did not go completely as planned.
I originally thought the most effective way to help majority of people would be through marriage and family counseling. However, before graduation at UNCG, I became a tutor with the No Child Left Behind act under a contracted company. I went into struggling schools and taught children, who were at-risk for failure, any core curriculum they were behind on. I found that I really loved teaching. Yet, I also loved getting to know the children even more. I appreciated my time talking to them about their personal lives and why they were struggling. I could see my passion morphing into work with children and education. This passion was solidified through volunteer counseling experience with children. I was not simply satisfied to counsel, but driven and excited to work with this population.
When I was accepted into NC State’s CACREP accredited counselor education program, I knew it would give me the tools I need to become as successful as my hard work would allow. With the program’s emphasis on multiculturalism, ethics, and technology, I have found avenues to success in counseling that may have been undiscovered otherwise. My journey to counseling is ongoing, as I believe that education in this ever-growing area is never fully complete. Nonetheless, I feel my time in the schools, volunteer counseling, and at NC State has prepared me to fulfill my passion – to help children bridge the gaps of success and define their own paths in life regardless of known and unknown obstacles.