This year, Warren Hills welcomes Kristina Polachak into the Guidance Department, and she is super stoked to be working here.

This is not the first time she has walked our halls, for she herself is an alumnus of Warren Hills and graduated with the class of 2010.  From there, she went on to get her Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Pennsylvania State University.  After that, she worked a bit before earning her Master’s degree at Centenary University. 

Polachak gives credit to sociology teacher James Smith for introducing her to her future career.  She recalled learning about psychology theories in his class and how they appealed to her.

“I first became interested in counseling and the Social Sciences when I was in this high school and taking Mr. Smith’s Introduction to Social Sciences class.  Ever since being introduced to the field of psychology, I was hooked. I loved learning about various theorists’ attempts to better understand human behavior and development,” said Polachak, “and just being so fascinated at what make people tick.”

Being an alumnus and having taken classes many of her students take presently has given Polachak an advantage in knowing what they are learning. 

“Many of the courses that students are enrolled in now are ones that I took when I was a student.  I use this experience to better put myself ‘in my students’ shoes’ when meeting with them,” she said.

Polachak described the pros of her new job, and how she is determined to aid in the success of her students.

“On a day to day basis I meet with students to assist them in identifying and achieving their academic and post high school plans.  I work to make sure that students are meeting requirements to help them achieve their goals and to graduate,” she said.

She also said there are not many cons, but there are more responsibilities she must focus on within the job.

“There is a lot of responsibility and job tasks that are associated with being a school counselor,” she said, “and while I wouldn’t necessarily call that a ‘con,’ I would say that it can be one of the more challenging aspects of my job.”

Although now from a different perspective, it is no lie that Polachak is quite excited to be here again at Warren Hills.

“I truly enjoy meeting students and learning more about who they are as a person.  It’s rewarding for me to understand who a student is both inside and outside of school and finding ways to help them meet their goals,” Polachak added. “I would like the students to know that I am excited to be here and work with them, and that my door is always open to them.”