It's been an honor stepping into the Chair position for AzSCA and continuing the work of supporting Arizona's school counselors. I hope you've been having a restful and restorative summer and are ready to get back to our vital work as advocates for our students. 

For some of you, this new school year includes a transition, either to a new school or a new grade. For me it's both! I've just made the leap from a districtwide elementary position to being a counselor at a CTE high school!

This month's feature story in the Insider tackles that topic and talks about what it's really like to switch grade levels or schools as a counselor, plus some tips to make the transition easier. 

And in our Counselor in the Community spotlight, we're getting to know Mine Calik, a school counselor whose work extends far beyond the counseling office and into a beautiful, centuries-old art form.

I hope you find both pieces as inspiring as I did.

Sincerely,

Christina Culbertson
2026-2027 Chair
Arizona School Counselors Association

Remember that going-to-a-new-school feeling? New hallways, new faces, you're excited but also have a knot in your stomach and are wondering if anyone will sit with you during lunch?

Turns out that feeling doesn't disappear once you have a master's degree and a counseling office; it just finds new ways to show up. Ask any school counselor who's switched grade levels or schools, and they'll tell you: walking into that new school is just as nerve-racking for us as it is for our students.

Not all transitions are created equal, though. Moving to a new school but staying with the same age group is, arguably, the gentler version of this challenge. The building layout changes as does the names of the students you'll be dealing with, but the overall developmental world you're working in — the language, the concerns, the rhythms of the day — stays pretty familiar.

Switching age groups is a different story entirely. You have to rethink nearly everything, right down to your vocabulary. Elementary counselors spend their days building character skills centered around feelings and friendships. Middle school counselors shift toward self-expression and executive functioning, as they help students figure out who they are and how to manage the growing demands on their time and attention. Meanwhile, high school counselors need to be focused on post-secondary plans, guiding students toward the next chapter of their lives.

So how do you make the leap successfully? A few strategies rise to the top:

Get the data first. Before you do anything else, understand the school by getting familiar with the data: demographics, academic outcomes, testing scores, enrollment, attendance, disciplinary referrals. Honestly, this is something you're probably doing even if you stay in the same school - looking at the data from the past year to plan for the next one. 

Talk to your peers. Counselors who've made similar transitions, or currently work at your new grade or school, are absolutely invaluable resources. Don't be afraid to ask them the questions. 

Go beyond the job description and shadow a peer. A job posting tells you what you're responsible for. A day spent alongside someone actually doing the job tells you what it's really like.

Know that it's going to be trial and error. Your first year in a new grade level or school will feel a lot like your very first year as a school counselor: full of questions, adjustments, and a few moments of "Wait, what do I do now?" Believe it or not, this is a good thing; It shows you are growing into your new role.

Transitions are never easy, but no counselor has to navigate one alone. If you've recently made a move like this, consider becoming a peer mentor through AzSCA. Your expertise in "making the leap" might just help another counselor navigate their new role a whole lot easier. To learn more about being a peer mentor, please email us.

Mine Calik will be the first to tell you that her path to becoming a school counselor at Irving Elementary in Mesa was a bit "unexpected."

The daughter of a mother from Bosnia and a father from Georgia. she was raised in Turkey. "I like to tell people my upbringing was a little bit European and a little bit Asian," she said. 

She came to the United States 22 years ago when her husband's career brought him to Atlanta. After two years, they moved again, this time to Arizona.

Mine's degree is in chemistry and she began her educational career as a math and science teacher. She loved everything that came with teaching - not only the lessons themselves but all the extracurriculars like organizing graduation parties and field trips.

After teaching full-time for several years, she looked for a part-time position because she was pregnant. Her school offered her a middle-school level character education position. 

"At first, I hesitated because my background was in science, but I decided to give it a try," she said. "I wound up doing it for five years and loved it." As she was earning a certificate in character education, one of her teachers urged her to become a counselor.

Another reason, far more tragic, also encouraged her to pursue the career change: the suicide of one of her former students. It underscored for Mine just how critical mental health support is for young people.

Today, Mine brings a person-centered approach to her work, helping students build the character skills and resilience they'll rely on for years to come.

One of her favorite lessons, she said, focuses on cultural awareness and identity, and encouraging students to hold onto their own heritage even as they learn about the cultures around them.

"I believe students are stronger when they are proud of who they are and where they come from," she said.

Outside the counseling office, Mine and her husband practice the traditional art form of water marbling, a craft that dates back to the 13th century. Known as Erbu in Turkey, it involves taking droplets of paint, floating them in water, then turning them into intricate patterns that are transferred onto paper, silk or other physical objects.

For Mine, it's more than a hobby; it's a living connection to her heritage.

Her dedication to preserving and teaching this tradition earned her and her husband a Culture Keeper Award from the Southwest Folklife Alliance. The award recognizes traditional artists living in Arizona who are passing on art, culture, and heritage practices to apprentices within their communities.

"It was a meaningful honor because it allowed me to model for students the value of honoring their culture and embracing their unique backgrounds," she said.