“I wanted to help other young people”
Yolanda Curry didn’t always plan to work with youth.
After getting her degree in journalism from Mizzou, she worked in the field and did communications work for the City of St. Louis.
“I figured if I could get some young people involved in helping other people and perhaps not being so self-focused and self-absorbed, that might, you know, kind of change some perspectives,” Curry said.
One day, while sitting in church, Curry’s career path changed.
“I just remember being in a church service on Sunday and hearing about a young person in our community that I didn’t even know, but that young person had committed suicide,” she said. “It just really touched my heart. I just kind of said to myself that I wanted to do something to help other young people not go down that path, even if it was just one individual.”
So, Curry began her quest to find work that allowed her to shape the lives of young people. She started a service club at the local school where one of her children attended, teaching students to value service to others.
“I figured if I could get some young people involved in helping other people and perhaps not being so self-focused and self-absorbed, that might, you know, kind of change some perspectives,” she said.
Curry ran the community service club for about nine years. Then, she said, the principal there suggested she would make a great school counselor. This solidified Curry’s path.
She took a job as a paraprofessional educator, then completed her master’s degree to become a counselor. She had found her way of helping young people the way she dreamed.
Curry, who will be honored during the virtual Salute to Excellence in Education at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, started her current position as a counselor for St. Charles West High School in 2019, just before COVID-19 hit.
Now, in the third school year impacted by the pandemic, students need the mental and emotional support services school counselors provide more than ever. She said some students who attended school virtually last year are re-learning how to be in school in person.
Others have developed anxiety and depression, she said, that was not present before COVID-19 or have seen their pre-existing problems at home magnified by the stress of these times.
One of Curry’s strategies is what she calls a “one-minute check-in.” She pulls a student aside and asks them a few questions to see how they’re doing.
“That has been helpful because there have been some kids that I never would have guessed are dealing with certain issues, like anxiety or maybe bullying,” Curry said.
At St. Charles West, Curry also supervises the Multicultural Achievement Council, a group dedicated to promoting college readiness in students of color. The Multicultural Achievement Council runs the ACT-prep program and gives students opportunities to meet with professionals of color.
Curry said they just completed a four-week “College Admissions 101” series, where they supplied students of color with specific tools for college.
In teaching students what they can expect from the college admissions process and from the collegiate environment itself, Curry said she is empowering students to access the tools they need to apply for and attend college. She said throughout all her counseling work so far, she has learned that relationship-building is critical.
“Just taking a few minutes, you know, to get to know students and just let them know that you care about them that you’re there for them really does open them up to being able to receive from you later,” Curry said. “The relationship piece is really important.”
