COUNSELING UPDATE | New Counselors, New Structure

LETTER FROM NEW DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING LISA PERRY: 

Hello to the Village Christian Family!

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year. As we all know, this is going to be an unusual year, but working together, we can absolutely make it one to remember. We are all embarking on a new journey, and your Village Christian counseling team is here and ready to support you every step of the way.

During this time of uncertainty due to the pandemic, the Village Christian counseling team has been actively preparing over the summer for the opening of the school year. Whether in person or online, we are prepared to guide students through the college application process and ensure they have the latest information available to assist them in completing their college applications. As a team, we have been reaching out to college representatives from across the nation to have the most up-to-date information to share with students regarding any changes to college application requirements. We are confident and excited to pivot with the times and are staying on top of the college application landscape to continually communicate the latest information to parents, students, and faculty.

Through professional development, research, and regular communication with college admissions representatives, we plan to adapt our typical counseling curriculum to match the current needs of students, such as conducting workshops on how to interview or take a college tour virtually, master the application essay, and stand out absent of SAT or ACT scores.

To kick off the fall, the Counseling Department is excited to host “Senior Parent Night,” when we will share an overview of critical information to students and parents regarding the college application process and the changing landscape in this new era (more info to come). We will also share the upcoming 2020-2021 programming we have developed for students this fall to assist families in this process. Once the school year begins, we will dive into individual senior and parent meetings where we will review more detailed information tailored to your student’s specific post high school plans. Keep your eyes open for those sign-ups!

Additionally, there are some new faces in the Counseling Department, and we have also restructured the department. Below is an outline of our new structure and introductions to our team for the 2020-2021 school year:

HOLLY FARIAS - MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELOR (GRADES 6-8)
Mrs. Farias is the new Middle School Counselor, serving students in grades 6-8. She has worked as a school counselor at VCS since 2017 in High School and Middle School and has been working in education for eight years. Mrs. Farias is a graduate from CSUN's School Counseling master’s program and has her bachelor's in Psychology from UCLA.

• Email: hollyf@villagechristian.org
• Phone: (818) 767-8382, ext. 406

HYUNJA YI - DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES (GRADES 6-12)
Mrs. Yi is the Director of International Student Services focusing on academic counseling for grades 6-12. She began at VCS as a teacher in 2011 and later went on to become a counselor for international students. She has worked in education for the past 13 years. Mrs. Yi holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Master of Education degree from UCLA.

• Email: hyunjay@villagechristian.org
• Phone: (818) 767-8382, ext. 235

COURTNEY ALVAREZ - HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR (GRADES 9-12)
Miss Alvarez is our new High School Counselor, serving 11th and 12th graders L-Z, and 9th and 10th graders, mixed. Miss Alvarez joins us from Whittier Christian High School, where she served the last three years as a College Advisor. She received her BA in Psychology from Westmont College and a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy degree from Fuller Seminary.

• Email: courtneya@villagechristian.org
• Phone: (818) 767-8382, ext. 507

LISA PERRY - DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING (GRADES 9-12)
Mrs. Perry is the new Director of College Counseling, serving 11th and 12th graders A-K, and 9th and 10th graders, mixed. She comes to Village Christian after six years at San Marino High School as a comprehensive counselor. Prior to that, she was a College Counselor at New Roads School, an independent school in Santa Monica. She received a BA in English, with a minor in Art, Music and Theatre, from Georgetown University, and a master’s degree in School Counseling from the University of Southern California.

• Email: lisap@villagechristian.org
• Phone: (818) 767-8382, ext. 503

As we all begin this unprecedented year, we welcome any and all feedback. For information regarding the school opening and safety protocols, please review our Thriving Through the Challenge document.

Please let us know any and all questions, concerns, and ideas. We look forward to working with you!

Sincerely,

Lisa Perry
Director of College Counseling