{"id":40654,"date":"2015-12-04T15:25:33","date_gmt":"2015-12-04T22:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stage.headlessnauedu-b6hgdzckfdgxgzhe.westus-01.azurewebsites.net\/?p=40654"},"modified":"2015-12-07T08:49:05","modified_gmt":"2015-12-07T15:49:05","slug":"nau-alumna-selected-as-the-nations-top-school-counselor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/nau-alumna-selected-as-the-nations-top-school-counselor\/","title":{"rendered":"NAU alumna selected as the nation’s top school counselor"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Kat Pastor<\/strong> visited a local school to talk with students about Northern Arizona University, it started her on a path toward a gratifying career and professional\u00a0recognition\u00a0that will take her to the White House.<\/p>\n

Pastor was asked to make a college presentation at Flagstaff High School while working in\u00a0NAU\u2019s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid in 2005. After\u00a0the presentation, FHS staff members suggested she apply for a job as a school counselor. At the advice of a faculty mentor, Pastor applied and\u00a0was offered the position.<\/p>\n

With an undergraduate degree in psychology, a master of education in student affairs and experience working in several NAU departments, Pastor had a varied skill set suited to help high school students learn about their educational options. Since moving to Flag High, she\u00a0has added a graduate certificate\u00a0in school psychology to her repertoire.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love my job and there is no prescribed day,\u201d said Pastor, who describes herself as passionate about providing education on academics, careers, college readiness and basic coping skills.<\/p>\n

Back in\u00a0October, the 2015 National School Counselor of the Year notified\u00a0Pastor\u00a0she was one of six finalists for the 2016 title. This week she learned the American School Counselor Association chose her as the 2016 National School Counselor of the Year.<\/p>\n

Pastor said her time at NAU was excellent preparation for the job of school counselor. \u201cMy jobs gave me a perspective that a lot of school counselors don\u2019t have and now I help students learn about financial aid, admissions, housing and all those things high school students need to know.”<\/p>\n

Gene Moan, Heidi Wayment, Molly Munger\u00a0<\/strong>and Tom DeStefano<\/strong>\u00a0were several\u00a0of Pastor\u2019s mentors at NAU, and she credits them\u00a0for her well-rounded education.<\/p>\n

\u201cKat Pastor\u2019s selection as\u00a0the National School Counselor of the Year award is a strong indicator of the quality of our school counseling program,\u201d said Moan, a professor of educational psychology. \u201cIn keeping with NAU\u2019s mission of providing high quality graduate programs, the school counseling program trains top notch professionals to serve the needs of high school students, particularly those from ethnic minorities and other under-represented groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moan said students in the department are expected to be involved with professional organizations at the state and national levels to maintain awareness of evolving trends in school counseling.<\/p>\n

When Pastor has an audience with first lady Michelle Obama, she said she has two things she\u2019d like to address: creating equal access to school counselors across the country and increasing awareness of the importance of school counseling. \u201cTeachers are here to teach and we are here to help students grow into productive citizens, to make this a better world.\u201d After sharing her ideas with Obama next month, Pastor said she would like to give the first lady a hug.<\/p>\n