Singh signs on as counselor

Sounds of keyboards tapping, pens clicking and feet shuffling began the new school year on Aug 27, welcoming one of the newest counselors, Ms. Debbie Singh.
Ms. Singh previously worked part time for both Temple City and San Marino High School either as a Regional Occupation Program (ROP) counselor in the career center. As a ROP counselor, her duties ranged from being responsible for those taking ROP classes to delivering presentations with the help of Career Center Coordinator Ms. Amy Sisson. Now, as an academic counselor, she is responsible for students with last names from A-Chr and shares presentations with the entire academic team.
Before working at the high schools, Ms. Singh was determined to be a community college counselor. As she prepared to become a ROP counselor, she went to San Marino High for training. The experience changed her view on working with teenagers, who she previously thought were intolerable.
“I was wrong. The students were great. The staff was great. I fell in love with it,” Ms. Singh said. “I go in knowing I’m trying to help each of them reach their goals.”
She strives to not only help students achieve their goals, but also to reach her own as well. Ultimately, she wants to see her students succeed just as teachers do and wants to open opportunities for everyone.
“I’ve learned how to be more open to things and learning to be very flexible with my time,” Ms. Singh said. “I also learned that you have to be very understanding.”
Balancing the busy life of a full-fledge soccer mom, who is also heavily invested in work, flexibility is the key to Ms. Singh’s success.
“Ms. Singh was really helpful and patient,” Sophomore Nikki Woo said. “Her sincerity made her really comfortable to talk to.”
One of the largest goals for Ms. Singh is to help students find what they love to do, which would make their future transition into college easier.
Ms. Singh, with her great experience, is always readily available for students with questions. She spent over seven years pursuing student advising and experienced it herself at Long Beach City College. Ms. Singh has also begun a Graduate Program at Point Loma and was an educational advisor at Cal State Long Beach.