Journalist Turned Teacher Finds Education Opened The Book To A Rewarding Counseling Career In Dallas
Kathryn Lorusso was working for the Miami News as a city desk reporter. The Miami News had a working agreement with the Miami Herald. When that agreement ended, Lorusso went back to school and retooled. "I had a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications with a focus on international relations," said Lorusso.
She thought about what she wanted to do next and decided to attend Florida International University in Miami to earn a Master's Degree in English Education, which allowed her to graduate with a degree and be certified to teach in Florida.
The favorite part of her new job was dealing with the families and the students. Lorusso decided she wanted to work with families full-time and she went back to school at night to get a Master's in Guidance and Counseling from St. Thomas University in Florida. Being a teacher afforded her the ability to go to school during the summer and she took "an insane number of hours," 21 during the summer sessions. "I figured I was off [for the summer] and wanted to get it done," said Lorusso. She paid for her degree on a teacher's salary and tells her students "never let money stand in the way of your dreams to go to school."
Lorusso finds her current job as a guidance counselor in the Metroplex very rewarding.
"As a counselor, I deal with schedules, college applications, pregnancy, suicide, drug abuse and homelessness. The school systems are helping to raise children. We handle things that we never dealt with when I was in high school."
"I counsel not just children but parents, teachers and administrators. As a journalist, I met all kinds of people and got involved in their stories, but now as a counselor, getting involved means that I can help change futures and do much more good than when I was writing about their situation."
"Going back to school is the best way to reinvent yourself. How do you reinvent yourself if you aren't learning? You can't. You have to take in new skills and new information in order to become a better version of yourself. You have to be happy when the alarm clock goes off in the morning," said Lorusso.
Robin D. Everson is a native Chicagoan who resides in Dallas, Texas. Her appreciation for art, food, wine, people and places has helped her become a well-respected journalist. A life-long lover of education, Robin seeks to learn and enlighten others about culture. You can find her work at Examiner.com