Mary Catherine Cunningham
This section serves as a representation of how I got involved and served in my community throughout my college years. Each unique experience has shaped me into the professional I am and prepared me to become a school counselor.
University Career Center
The University Career Center serves Auburn students by delivering comprehensive services to explore majors and careers, network with employers and professionals, prepare for advanced education, and successfully transition from college to career.
I worked as a Peer Career Advisor for 3 years during my undergraduate experience before transitioning to a Graduate Assistant. As a PCA, it was my responsibility to meet one-on-one with students to discuss topics such as resumes, cover letters, interview skills, and more. As a GA, I am still meeting one-on-one with students but I have added career counseling appointments where I explore majors and careers with students as well as interpret assessments such as Type Focus and the Strong Interest Inventory. I am also able to play a role in the Programming side of the office by presenting to classes, aiding in the planning Mock Interview Day, and even creating social media for marketing.
My time at the UCC has been one of my absolute favorite experiences I have had at Auburn. I have not only learned valuable professional skills, but I have also learned how to interact with individuals and successfully meet each student's unique needs. No appointment I have with a student is the same; each one has a different agenda to meet varying goals. This will transfer over directly to meeting with students in the future. I will interact with many different kinds of people, and the skills I have learned at the UCC will aid me to do just that. Furthermore, I have learned the importance of tailoring support to each individual, which I will do daily as a school counselor.
Camp Agape
Camp Agape is a weekend retreat to serve local Auburn-Opelika students who are currently in foster care, adopted out of foster care, or biological children of foster/adoptive parents. I have volunteered with this retreat four years as a counselor, serving a range from first grade to middle school girls.
Before the retreat, the staff was educated on the foster care system as well as received training on supporting children who have experienced trauma. I was prepared to work with my students well, and I know this training will help me in my future career as a school counselor. Through this experience, I was able to further develop the skills necessary to be able to connect with and serve students from this particular population. Also through Camp Agape, I learned the importance of communicating with parents. Many of the parents wanted to speak with me and share the specific needs their child had. As I continue to work with parents in the future, it is necessary to be able to adequately communicate in order to serve each individual student well.
New York City, New York
New York City was the site of my study tour with the Auburn University College of Human Sciences. I was chosen as one of twelve students to represent the university as a student ambassador at the International Quality of Life Awards held at the United Nations.
It was such a humbling experience to be sponsored by the university as well as generous donors to be able experience the city in the way that we did. The International Quality of Life Awards honors people who have made significant and lasting contributions to individual, family, and community well-being locally and around the world. As a student ambassador, I welcomed guests to the evening by sharing what my time in the College of Human Sciences has done for me. Through this experience, I learned the importance of networking. As a counselor, I will need strong communication skills and people to help me throughout my career. This experience strengthened my communication skills as I was able to effectively communicate with many donors about my program. Similarly, as a professional, I will need to be able to network and communicate well in order to continue to grow as a counselor.
Marriage and Family Therapy Center
The Marriage and Family Therapy Center is training facility for graduate students who are part of Auburn University’s Master of Science Marriage and Family Therapy Program. The MFT Center's main goal is to help clients nurture their relationships with family, work, and friendship so they are the best possible and also to ensure each client is his/her best self in each relationship.
My responsibilities at the MFT Center included entering new data from paperwork into files as well as checking the data already entered to ensure its accuracy. My time spent at the MFT Center was invaluable in that while I was working, I was able to gain beneficial advice from both interns working at the center as well as the graduate students who were the acting therapists. I was able to gain insight into what a successful counselor looks and acts like in a professional setting. For example, each therapist has a coping mechanism that he/she uses when they feel the weight of one of their client’s brokenness. Many of the clients who come into the center are dealing with hard situations, and it is vital that therapists maintain their own mental health so they can better help their clients. Similarly, I will have to maintain my own mental health in order to serve my students well as a counselor. I learned vital coping mechanisms that will help me do so.