Keep Calm, Ms. A is Here

Some people may think high school is the craziest place in the world, full of issues from grades to friend drama to family conflict. One person who is helping FCHS teens navigate these issues is Shelby Allen, a counselor-in-training from the University of Virginia (UVA)

When Allen was younger, she came to her school counselor a lot, and eventually developed a fantastic friendship with her. This lead Allen to her current career. “At first I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. Then I started thinking about counseling, more towards counseling high school students,” she said.

Allen attended Elon University, a private liberal arts university in Elon, North Carolina. While an undergrad, she took a couple of classes, Human Service Study and Minor Leadership, that had to do with counseling. Now she is in a master’s program at UVA, where she has been an intern for two years. She will get her license to be a full-fledged counselor in May.   

Allen said she loves spending time with students, listening to their problems, and coming up with solutions. “I think the hardest thing is trying not to take these students’ problems home with me. I always worry if one of my students is going through a lot. I always want them to be okay,” Allen said. She can help students with career plans, family issues, friend drama, and more. “Mrs. Allen is the best. She is understanding, she lets me cry, rant and everything in between,” said sophomore Brianna Yount, who has been meeting with Allen since she came here last fall.    

Allen can be found in the Counseling office on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. To make an appointment with her, ask your teacher to email Allen.