Meet the Counselor

 “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”

- Dr.Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Hello!

I am so excited to be part of the Oakboro Choice STEM School family this year! I would love to take some time to introduce myself so that I might easily become a familiar face! My name is Kelli Pinion, I was born and raised in Stanfield, NC. I currently live right down the road here in Oakboro.  I graduated from Stanly Community College, with my Associate in Arts degree. I then attended UNC at Charlotte where my undergrad is in Sociology with double minors in Urban Youth and Communities and American Studies. After that, I really felt a pull towards counseling and in May of 2018  I graduated from Liberty University’s M.Ed, School Counseling program.  It is my desire to promote support to the needs of all students through the school counseling program. I plan on doing that through addressing the academic and personal/social development of each student.

Some fun facts about me:

•         I have 5 sisters and 2 brothers
•         I grew up showing Cutting Horses (NCHA) all over the east coast.
•         I love to travel and have visited 7 different countries!
•         In my free time, you might find me hiking, playing basketball, writing or coloring.

            Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.   It is my dream to be able to help cultivate young lives into seeing a bright future.  I have learned to not measure my level of success as a rule and to not project my ideas of success on others. What I view as successful, others may see as impractical. My bias cannot prevent me from serving students, and helping them to succeed in their manner. Each person is unique and has their own desires and dreams. I must actively listen to my students to understand what their goals are, without importing my own beliefs. As a school counselor my goal is to help students succeed, not only in education, but in society as well. Taking what is given to them, and giving to the next generation.  I believe this symbolizes the social responsibility I feel towards the community.  I believe in being committed to helping each and every student I come in contact with, to learn, succeed and excel in education, and society.

I look forward to working with each of you in this School Year! If I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me! My email is [email protected].

“When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.” -William Arthur Ward