Alumni Spotlight: School Counseling with Ms. Amber Love
Ms. Amber Love is a UT alumni from our School Counseling program. We asked her to share her experience with us and she was excited to do so:
“From a young age, I always knew that I wanted to be in a “helping” profession. My mother was a teacher and, while I never saw myself in that role, I did see myself working with kids in some capacity. My Bachelor’s degree is in psychology and I loved learning about human behavior and how the brain works. Putting all of those pieces together, School Counseling seemed like the perfect fit.
I’m originally from Memphis, TN and was in the first high school class with access to the Hope Scholarship in 2004. I knew I wanted to take advantage of that in-state incentive, so I visited a few campuses across the state and fell in love with UT(K). I don’t remember the phone call, but my mom assures me that I called her within two weeks and told her that I never wanted to leave! Knoxville is such a beautiful city, and I felt comfortable here right away. When it was time to start applying to graduate programs, I didn’t even feel the need to look elsewhere. UT had become my second home, and I was so glad that there was an accredited program, in the field I was looking for, right where I wanted to be.
It may sound cliché, but I would not be where I am today without the guidance and support of the Counseling department faculty during my time in the program. I was in a unique (and fortunate!) position to be offered a job at Christenberry Elementary School during my second year in the program. Because my professors believed in me and my skills, they encouraged me to accept the position while finishing my coursework. Dr. Studer, Dr. Gibbons, Dr. Woodside, Dr. Cochran, Dr. Diambra, Dr. Kronick, and Dr. Spurgeon were all such a wonderful group of educators who gave me the tools I needed to start my journey into the world of School Counseling.
The UT School Counseling program is the very reason I am where I am today. I am forever grateful to the group of professors who supported me in applying for and accepting the job at Christenberry 16 years ago. As my time at UT was ending, Christenberry quickly stepped in as my new “home away from home”. Right away I felt the same support from the administration at Christenberry that I had felt from my professors at UT. I know a big part of why my role has always been supported at Christenberry is because of the tools I was given by the UT School Counseling program.
I am still working as a school counselor at Christenberry today. I have the most supportive school community, who values school counseling and helps me to advocate for the social and emotional health of our students. While it is not always easy, the rewards far outweigh the challenges, and I am so grateful for the work I am able to do each day.
Over the years, Dr. Gibbons and I have partnered together in bringing career enrichment opportunities to students in my school and giving her students community outreach experience. I love getting to stay connected with her through this project because she is someone who truly helped me get to where I am today! It is also great to reconnect with other professors when I am supervising UT interns- it is wonderful to catch up when we get the chance!
Something I share with my school counseling interns from UT is that, while it might have felt overwhelming at times, I would go back and repeat the program in a heartbeat. The coursework, internship experience and supervision was so helpful in building my own school counseling program.
I would also encourage students to prioritize building relationships with their peers and professors as they go through the counseling program. Attend the social events, collaborate on projects, and seek out help when you need it. Having a strong support network will make the experience exponentially better!”
If you’d like to learn more about our Master’s in School Counseling, please click here: https://cehhs.utk.edu/chdfs/ms-in-counseling/
We hope to see you join us!