New counselor, Mrs. Devin Hines plans to impact the guidance department.

Inspired by her past experiences with counselors, Mrs. Hines plans to bring a positive light to GHS.

“The main reason that I became a guidance counselor is because I remember when I was in high school I didn’t have the greatest school counselor and I just felt that I wanted to help students have a better experience than I personally did. I think that it is important to be passionate about helping students but also organized and someone who can multi-task easily,” Mrs. Hines said.

Working as a guidance counselor takes a person with specific skills and the ability to connect with students.

“The best thing a guidance counselor can have is empathy. Being able to empathize with students and validate students and teenagers- being able to empathize, understand, and help a student is our number one priority. You definitely have to have a personality that likes to help people, especially young people. You are working with a lot of teenagers, and to some extent, you have to understand their problems and understand how to help them solve them,” Mr. Ben Sutton, guidance counselor said.

Mrs. Hines will be a fitting new addition to the department, while also bringing new skills and experiences to the table. Mrs. Hines has previous counseling experience in the Indianapolis Public School District; as well as having earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.

“Mrs. Hines has excellent energy, is very positive but realistic; which is a good balance for students working towards their futures who also want to meet their goals. She had a lot of different experience than some of our other counselors; having an alternative background and some experience with discipline which is new and brings something completely different to the table than what we have with some of our other staff,” Mrs. Lisa Laug, guidance director, said.

Mrs. Hines is excited to have the opportunity to help students decide what they want to pursue in their future.

“Since I have come from a more alternative background, I am getting back into more traditional counseling. I am excited to be getting to work with kids that are interested in going to college, looking to find a job or career and being able to help them. I have been able to help students go through grief and help them manage stress just from their day to day lives,” she said.

Mrs. Hines has a personality that will make it easy and natural for students to connect with her.

“Mrs. Hines will definitely be a good addition to our office. She is extremely personable, and I think that students will be attracted to her personality and want to come down and talk to her. I think she will be really good at helping students,” Mr. Sutton said.