We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yanique Powell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yanique below.

Yanique, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

In January 2020, I started my Graduate program at Hunter College in Educational leadership. Unbeknownst to me, COVID would hit three months later and the future of my participation in this program would become uncertain. As everyone scrambled to figure out how we would move forward, I was just ready to withdraw from the program. I really wanted to complete the program, but it just felt like it would be impossible being a mom, having a full-time job, and the many other things I wear hats in. After speaking with my mom, she encouraged me to be open-minded and that with her and my family’s support, I’d be fine. We went into lockdown and my classes became completely remote. A year later, I was thriving and enjoying the program, happy that I gave it a chance. The program required that we completed internship hours with the Administration of my school. We were assigned an internship supervisor who would observe us and coach us throughout the semester. This was very nerve-wracking for me. My supervisor and I talked on the phone a few times and exchanged emails leading up to my first observation. My supervisor observed me facilitate two family workshops on college planning. After both events, he gave me rave reviews. After the second observation we met to talk about how things were going, and he asked me if I had ever thought about consulting outside of my full-time job. Though the thought had crossed my mind previously, I honestly didn’t think that I was an expert yet to venture into that realm. Towards the end of the semester, my supervisor told me he wanted to connect me with a peer of his who was part of an organization called Score. Score mentors small business owners. Without my internship supervisor, Beyond 12th would not come to fruition. I’ve been successful in life because people have always believed in me more than I have believed in myself. My internship supervisor saw promise in me, which allowed me to find the confidence and motivation to pursue this opportunity. More than a year later, I am blessed to have two amazing mentors from Score who have helped me put the pieces together and support my new business.

Yanique, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I like to say that by day, I’m a New York City high school counselor and by night, I am a budding college admissions consultant. I have been a high school counselor for eight years. My career started in youth development at the YMCA, where I worked as a School Age Child Director. I have always enjoyed working with students of all ages and as a director of a youth program, I often found myself in situations where I was counseling and supporting students. I wanted to do this in a school capacity, so I pursued a Master’s degree in School Counseling. My role as a high school counselor consists of many different elements, but my favorite is college counseling. I love working with students to navigate their futures. I also love visiting different colleges and networking with different people in the college access and success world. This isn’t easy work, but I love that I can say, I learn something new every day.

I became involved in consulting after being encouraged to do so by a former supervisor. My desire to pursue this work has stemmed from my own experience as an immigrant student navigating the college application process on my own and my desire to be a support system for families in my community.

I believe I’m very connected to my work. Providing students and families with college access knowledge is my passion. It’s a great feeling when you can help parents and students to demystify the college application process and make their dreams a reality.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My first full-time job was as a School Age Director for the YMCA. My Y career started as a work-study job back in college. Upon moving back to New York for graduate school, I applied for an after-school position at another local Y. I would spend seven years moving from an after-school teacher to a program coordinator, then to a director. Though I was pursuing a Masters in School Counseling, I was content with my role as a director. The Y is a very family-oriented environment, I felt like I was part of a family. When my own family grew, I was able to utilize a lot of the Y programs for my own daughter. Everything felt just right. Three years into my role as director, I randomly received a Facebook message from a former graduate school classmate asking if I was still interested in being a school counselor. I said yes, without even thinking. Upon graduating from grad school, there was a hiring freeze for counselors in NYC. I applied to a few positions in other places, but because I was happy with my position at the Y, I didn’t feel compelled to try too hard.

My friend got back to me and told me to send her resume. It turned out that the school in which she worked, a new NYC school, was looking to hire a school counselor. This was a huge decision for me. I was very content with my YMCA career and had somewhat taken the idea of being a school counselor anytime soon off my mind. I realized it wouldn’t hurt to pursue the opportunity. If it worked out great, and if it didn’t, I’d still be happy at the Y.

I went to an open house at the school, I felt very welcomed and at home. After the open house, I was offered the opportunity to interview, and I did. This was very nerve-wracking. I had to brush up on my interviewing skills. There was also one huge factor to consider, and this was the location of the school. My commute would change drastically, and I would also now need to find full-time childcare for my daughter. I had to decide if the opportunity was worth it.

The interview was a success, and I was offered the job. I couldn’t believe it. I was now going to be a school counselor in a high school. As reality started to set in, I had a huge decision to make. This would be a huge pivot for me, career-wise and in my regular life. I was used to seeing the same people who were like family pretty much every day for the past seven years.

After thinking long and hard, I accepted the position to be a high school counselor. I had worked hard to earn my Master’s in School Counseling and counseling jobs were hard to come by.

Being a school counselor has been great. I have had so many opportunities to grow professionally and personally.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I think about resilience, I think about my life as a young kid migrating from Jamaica and as a teenager leaving the Bronx to attend college in the whitest state in the U.S. At about age 11 my parents made the decision to leave Jamaica and join the rest of our family in the Bronx. My life in Jamaica from the time I was born to age 11, was near perfect. Both my parents had great jobs, we had a nice home, I wanted for nothing. We had a great life. My privilege extended me the opportunity to travel frequently to the U.S. and spend summers with my family. As a little kid, moving to the U.S. was a dream come through. Part of me was sad about leaving the only home I knew and my friends, but the other part of me loved being in New York on summer vacation, so the thought of making the place I typically vacationed, my new home, was exciting. I quickly came to learn that vacationing in New York and now living in New York, were two different things.

The day arrived; I was boarding a flight to Vermont to start my college career. I waited my entire life for this day. Growing up, I was very close to my family. My parents would drive up the following day with all my stuff. I was excited and nervous. I was starting this new chapter on my own. I wasn’t sure what I’d be walking into when I got to campus. I had visited several times before, but each time before I knew when I would be going home. This time around I’d be here months before it was time to return home. When I arrived at my dorm, my roommate was there with her family unpacking. She seemed very nice, and they were very welcoming. So welcoming, that they invited me out for lunch with them. Deep down I was sad that my parents weren’t there yet, but my roommate’s family made up for it.
Monday morning came, and it was the first day of classes. My classes were close enough that I could walk, but far enough that I could take the campus bus. As I boarded the bus, something hit me. I was the only person of color on the bus. For the first time, I felt out of place.

There would be many more instances like this. Being the only in classes, and many other spaces at the college. There were many times where I didn’t feel smart enough and questioned if I belonged. Once a student told me that the only reason I was able to attend the school was because of Affirmative action. I also heard others say not nice things about black people. There were instances where students flew the confederate flag proudly in their dorm windows and refused to take it down. They went above and beyond to tell us that we didn’t belong. I experienced many instances of adversity during my time in Vermont, but the resilience that was instilled in me by my family, allowed me to persist. I made Vermont my home. I graduated from college and life began for me. There were many students of color who I started college with, who didn’t make it to the end for many reasons. I could have let everything that was wrong get to me, but I didn’t.

My college experience contributed tremendously to who I am today. It taught me that no matter the adversity, I am strong enough, I am brave enough and I am smart enough to get through it. This little immigrant girl from Petersfield, Jamaica has accomplished so much and for that I am proud.

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