About the PHS College & Career Outreach Specialist

McCoy joined Petaluma High in March of 2022. She brings a wealth of experience as an educator and community organizer. Her first job out of college was at the education nonprofit WestEd based in the SoMa district of San Francisco. She went on to teach middle school, high school, and college students. In addition to her role here, McCoy is a Sociology Instructor at Napa Valley College. Native to Prescott, Arizona, she currently resides in Petaluma with her husband, two kids (aged 14 and 10), and their border collie. They like to ride bikes, read books, go backpacking, and play video games together. 

Here is her perspective on supporting students with college and career: 

"At my core I’m humanistic - this idea that we look at the whole person, and the uniqueness of each individual, and we assume people are motivated to achieve their potential. That being said, I’m also a sociologist who knows about life chances. Our complex social world has real constraints and some of us have more options than others. This means we need to work to have empathy and to understand context. I want to do what I can to give all students great options for life after Petaluma High. My goal is to support students with current info on college and career trends and to listen well to their struggles and dreams." 

BA, University of Colorado at Boulder, Latin American Studies - Spanish 

MA, California State University East Bay, Sociology

College Counseling Certificate, UCLA  

mdodsworth@petk12.org