Bienvenidos to Counseling with Perez

All about your school counselor

¡Hola! My name is Elizabeth Perez, I was born and raised in Yuba City, I am first generation. My parents are from Michoacan, Mexico (such a beautiful state). Growing up, my parents always taught my siblings and I the values of life, including responsibility, and the hard work of earning a dollar. I remember they would take us to pick grapes on our weekends (I started when I was in kindergarten), boy was that hard work! However, It taught me how to be appreciative and a hard worker. This motivated me to think about my future and where I wanted to be 10 years from then. With that being said, I graduated from Yuba City High School in 2008 and went to Chico State, where I completed my Bachelors of Arts in Criminal Justice. Once I started working for the school district, I found that this is where my heart belongs. I absolutely love working with our youth, I wouldn't change it for anything. After a lot of encouragement I decided to go back to school and got my Masters in Educational Counseling and PPS Credential through National University.

Favorite time of the year: Fall/winter for sure! I love, love, love when the leaves change colors, when we get to wear our boots and sweaters, the smell of warm abuelita with coffee (yes, I love coffee in almost anything), pumpkin spice EVERYTHING, and being able to watch scary movies with a blanket knowing it's cold outside.

A recent change: I am now a mom of two handsome boys, oh boy!

Favorite thing(s) to do: Oh, I have a few; I love to cook, dance, spend time with family, get crafty, listen to music, take long walks, and teach my boy new things.

Favorite childhood memory: I have too many! If I could choose one, it would be when I was at my grandparent's house in Mexico. My grandma would spoil my siblings and I with homemade tortillas from scratch. I would help her remove the kernels of corn from the cob and she would grind it in her corn grinder. She would then make an amazing salsa and cut up fresh cheese she had just made from one of their cows. My goodness, that was one of the best memories!

Why counseling as a career? I remember when I was in high school, I didn't have the best experience with my school counselor. I remember I would always go see another counselor because she took the time to really listen. I don't want students to leave having a bad experience with their counselor. I love what I do, in fact, every morning I look forward to coming to work. Listening and helping the students and their families is a passion I have.