Brittanni Powell: School Counselor

Hello! My name is Brittanni Powell and I am a part of the wonderful Counseling team here at San Diego Virtual School. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Biological Psychology from UCSD, and my Master’s degree in Counseling and PPS Credential from Chapman University. Our goal as Counselors is to work with each and every student and their families to help make their educational journey meaningful, productive and (most of all) enjoyable! I live in San Diego with my husband and daughter, and in our free time we enjoy going to the beach, baseball games, camping and winter sports.

Counseling at San Diego Virtual School

San Diego Virtual School is an online educational platform for middle school and high school students. San Diego Virtual School provides education to help students with unique lifestyles and scheduling complications get the education necessary to succeed in their studies. We understand that not every student has the same ability to attend school at specific hours and that some students are more effective at learning outside of traditional learning methods. San Diego Virtual School was created to answer that need and provide families and students with new opportunities to receive education.

We have put together a San Diego school counseling staffing team to assist students and their parents with the educational journey they go through during middle school and high school years. Each virtual school counselor is capable of assisting students through planning their academic years as well as making educational choices for additional schooling and life beyond high school.

Learn more about each online counselor in San Diego Virtual School below. You’ll get to know a little more about each counselor, they roles throughout the school, their educational upbringing, and more.

Heidi Bridges: Science Teacher/College and Career Counselor

Hello!  My name is Heidi Bridges and I am the Academic Dean of Students at San Diego Virtual School where I get the pleasure of working with our students to help them feel successful in their academic journey.  I also work with our online curriculum partners, serve as the homeless and foster youth liaison, am developing our CTE program and help our seniors develop their post secondary plans.   I have a B.A. in Environmental Science from UC Santa Barbara, a single subject teaching credential from the University of Maine at Orono to teach middle and high school life science, and a college and career counseling certificate from UC San Diego.  I love being part of San Diego Virtual School and feel thankful to have the opportunity to work with our students in helping them develop their post secondary dreams.  My goal is that all our students will graduate and feel like they are a valuable member in the community and they can overcome any hardship they may have in life and make a positive impact**.**

Carolina Bracamonte: Associate Clinical Licensed Social Worker

Greetings! My name is Carolina Bracamonte and I am elated to join the San Diego Virtual School’s (SDVS) Counseling Team in an effort to support and empower our students to achieve their academic goals. I am a San Diego Native, passionate about working with children, youth and families and a mother to a fur-baby-cat named Mrs. Whiskers. I identify as a first-generation daughter of immigrant parents. I grew up in the diverse community of City Heights in San Diego, CA where I attended all local public schools (Hamilton, Monroe Clark and Hoover High School). I went off to pursue my undergraduate studies and graduated in 2011 from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and dual minors in Political Science and African American Studies. In 2014 I combined my passion of working with children, youth and families with my passion for healing interventions and social justice by pursuing my graduate studies and obtaining a dual Master of Clinical Social Work and Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC) at San Diego State University (SDSU). I have acquired a varied work experience background over the past ten years working with children, youth and families in both community agencies in San Diego and the Bay Area (where I lived for a few years). On my free time I enjoy spending time in nature, writing and dabbling into arts and crafts (I build piñatas and make chocolate candy). I truly believe that our children and youth can change the world if we support them with love and compassion! I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and partner with all future students and their families. Please reach out with and let me know how I can be of support to you! In Love and Gratitude -Carolina.”

MAJOR ROLES OF A SCHOOL COUNSELOR

At the very core, a virtual school counselor in San Diego is responsible for helping students get through their school year, make well informed education choices, and prepare them for their academic career for the many years to follow – through middle school, high school, and college.

In most school systems, you’ll see that their school counselor aims at covering the following major roles to help students succeed. Our online counselor in San Diego Virtual School also emphasizes the following roles. We want to provide all of our students with the tools and guidance they need to succeed.

Core Curriculum Planning

Counselors work with students one-on-one to ensure that all of the state required curriculum is being met as part of their lessons and studies. While students have freedom to choose their electives, certain classes must be completed in order for them to graduate into the next grade.

Readiness for College and/or Career

Counselors are also important for helping students plan for the additional education they will need to pursue higher education or specific careers that they are interested in. The earlier students can start with their planning, the more time they will have to prepare.

Student Planning for Personal and Social Goals

It can be especially hard for students who learn online to find social connections with other students and their peer group. Counselors from San Diego Virtual School will work closely with each student to help them meet other children around their age group and that share similar interests. Counselors can help them look for and plan activities around their interests, develop personal goals, and more.

The virtual school counselor in San Diego Virtual School aims to equip every student with the knowledge they need to lead successful academic years, prepare them for career and education beyond high school, as well as provide them guidance in areas of life that they need assistance with. Give us a call to learn more about our team of school counselors and how they can help your child succeed academically, socially, and more.