GESS welcomes Dr Elethia Vanessa Rhoden, Head of Careers & University Counselling to further strengthen our support for high school students. We find out more about her background and what she hopes to bring to GESS.
Tell us about yourself, your academic and career background.
In high school, I took a psychology class that piqued my interest about the human mind and what motivates us to behave and interact with others. Since then, my curiosity continues to grow. I completed my bachelor’s degree in psychology, master’s degree in school counselling, specialist degree in administration and supervision, and finished with my doctoral degree in executive leadership – you can see I have chosen to concentrate on education.
I bring to GESS over two decades of counselling experience, working with students from elementary, middle school through high school levels. This also included working with young adults and adults within my private practice – I am a Licensed Professional Counsellor (LPC) and a USA Nationally Certified Counsellor (NCC). I also seek knowledge in every aspect of life as an earnest learner.
A little story here – after my bachelor’s degree, I was certain that I would never go back to school. However, I am the testimonial example that things can change, grow and continue to seek further enrichment. I am so happy that I changed my mind, because it paved the path for me to be here, at GESS, to learn among my colleagues with their wealth of knowledge and experience, many of them having worked across the globe.
What made you take up this role at GESS?
When I was seeking my next career, GESS stood out for several reasons.
Firstly, the campus is beautiful!
That aside, I am interested to learn more about the BeyondClassrooms programme. This initiative really resonated with me as I facilitated several programmes at my previous schools, allowing students to partner with community businesses to learn firsthand a sense of duty and responsibility, while enabling the businesses to understand how they can better foster growth within their company for a stronger, resilient and future-proof workforce. I am impressed by the IB options for both our diploma and careers tracks, and happy to see service learning opportunities as these help our students to be caring global citizens.
When I was researching GESS, the environment seems to house positive staff, encouraged and happy to go to work. Despite my short time here, I can say this is true from my experience. My colleagues have been encouraging and knowledgeable, all making for a perfect atmosphere for growth, mutual motivation and a common goal towards better serving the students. I am absolutely excited to grow our University Career Counselling (UCC) programme with my team, which includes Mrs Hope Johnson who has also just joined GESS. We look forward to partnering students and parents through our UCC, encouraging students to select the best fit for their post-GESS path after reviewing and understanding all the options that are available to them.
What is your initial impression of GESS? What do you feel about the support you have been getting so far to get you settled in at GESS?
With only mere weeks at GESS, I can say that I am excited to see what comes next. Within this short period of time, I’ve had opportunities to dive into many of the great programmes GESS has to offer, collaborate with wonderful, helpful and knowledgeable colleagues, while exploring this beautiful campus. The support from our leadership team and colleagues has been incredible – they are assuring, understanding and encourage collaboration and forward-thinking approaches. It is energising to be part of the GESS family!
What have you been busy with since the school year started?
One of my top priorities is to strengthen communication with our GESS community – across students, parents and colleagues – so all stakeholders are aware of the wonderful events, programmes, workshops and opportunities we have in store for this school year. I have been meeting students, be it in the high school lounge’s office for a private chat, in their classrooms as they work on projects and even the canteen – I believe these interactions enable me to learn about them and for them to also get to know me, as we forge our way forward to a successful year.
What are some challenges you foresee in this role, and how would you overcome them?
Every job has challenges. However, I prefer to think of it as using every obstacle as a chance to grow, stretch and become better. I endeavour to keep striving for success – and what this means to me is ensuring our students know that we University and Career Counsellors are here to support them on their path to success. I will define success as offering opportunities for them to grow, encouraging self-advocacy and time management so they can complete necessary tasks required for their next journey, motivating them to in turn motivate their peers, and be consistent champions in whatever they choose to pursue!
Finally, what do you like to do for leisure?
I enjoy spending time with my family and trying new recipes. When I’m not with my family, you can find me riding my motorcycle, watching Formula 1 races, being active outdoors or travelling. I am excited to visit my country #47, wherever that may be.
