JESSICA MCKENNA

6295 Stanley Ave. #3, San Diego, CA 92115 | (C) 6192181339 | jess.mckenna@hotmail.com

Dear Selection Committee of Juvenile Court and Community Schools,

My name is Jessica McKenna and I am a recent graduate from the School Counseling Program at San Diego
State University. Ten years ago, I took a position as a Literacy AmeriCorps member at the Girls Rehabilitation
Facility; a decision would change the path of my life. It was then that my eyes were opened to the needs of
students in the court system. One year of AmeriCorps led to five years at Sierra Vista and during that time it was
my absolute pleasure to not only teach the students but also assist many of them in earning their high school
diploma or GED and apply to community college. It was my work at Juvenile Court and Community Schools that
ignited my passion to become a school counselor.
I am dedicated to working with non-traditional students in the areas of personal/social development, academic
achievement and college and career readiness. The value I can bring to Sarah Anthony/Sierra Vista is
summarized below.
I have worked extensively with youth in both education and social services. Having worked with culturally diverse
youth as an educator, coach, coordinator and school counselor trainee, I am driven by the success and welfare of
my students. My goal as a school counselor is to provide all students with resources that are specific to them and
their needs. Closing the achievement and enrichment gap for students of color requires advocacy, awareness
and dedication, all of which I possess. Social justice is a key element of San Diego State Universitys School
Counseling program and I feel through my journey as a student, I have become critically aware of the
importance of social justice and how I, as a counselor, can help to develop approaches that will support and
impact marginalized students.
I have strong counseling skills that were developed over my 700 hours of on-site training which assisted me in
providing individual and small group counseling to students. I am competent in developing, co-developing and
facilitating guidance lessons on various topics including drug and alcohol use, study skills, FAFSA, stress and
anxiety, Naviance, college preparation and communication skills. I have consulted and collaborated with
teachers, parents, social workers, school psychologists and colleagues to provide students with resources and
support. Furthermore, while my work with and for students is of utmost importance, I look forward to further
developing my counseling skills and learning and implementing best practices and evidence-based techniques.
I possess strong coordination, communication and record keeping skills. I also find creativity and flexibility to be
key qualities that I often use in daily activities. In my role as a school counselor trainee, I strived to incorporate
technology and established skills in disaggregating and using data to identify and share important gaps among
students, as well as identify counseling interventions that have proven to be beneficial. According to the goals
listed in your LCAP, you would like to increase A-G awareness and accessibility, increase confidence in public
education among parents and stakeholders, increase graduation rates and college preparation and increase rates
of resiliency and school connectedness among students. I am prepared and eager to assist JCCS in
accomplishing these goals to better serve the students of Sarah Anthony/Sierra Vista.
I hope to have an opportunity to further discuss the school counselor position with your team. A face-to-face
meeting would allow me to further share my experience and qualifications and how I can contribute to the Sarah
Anthony/Sierra Vista counseling department. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jessica McKenna