JENNIFER KOLB The W.D. Perry Award M.Ed. in School Counseling Class of 2012; Framingham, Mass. My background In high school, I was heavily involved in soccer and track. I would say being active and participating in competitive sports was my number one interest while growing up. I also enjoyed playing the piano and pretending I was a concert pianist, even though I never had any lessons (and therefore wasn’t any good!). For college, I went to Harvard and studied psychology. I graduated in 2006 and worked in finance for five years. During that time, I discovered through volunteering that I really loved working with kids, especially in a one-on-one, mentoring capacity. I decided that I wanted to go back to school to get a degree in education. After completing my master’s degree last summer, I am now working at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill. Why I chose the UNC School of Education I chose UNC-Chapel Hill because it has the best reputation in the area for delivering a first-rate education. I also knew that the School of Education specifically is very highly respected by high schools (i.e., potential employers) in the area. As an added incentive, I received a merit assistantship covering the full cost of tuition, plus a stipend. My experience My year of study in the school counseling master’s program was a very intense and fulfilling experience. I learned so much about the school counseling profession and about myself. The school counseling program pushed me in ways I’ve never been pushed before, from working on my ability to communicate and build relationships with people from backgrounds totally different from my own, to becoming more introspective about my own feelings and values. I left UNC with a very strong professional and personal network comprised of my cohort, professors and internship advisors. I am very grateful for the time I spent as a graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill! How the W. D. Perry Award has benefited me I worked very hard last year and the W. D. Perry Award was a wonderful recognition for all of that hard work. It meant so much to me to be recognized by my peers, professors and internship advisor. The plaque is currently hanging on my office wall.
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