Angela Taylor arrived in Wrangell one week before her school counseling position began in the beginning of the academic year.
She spent 20 years working in International Schools in countries like Indonesia and Saudi Arabia as a director in admissions and public relations. But, Alaska isn’t unfamiliar to her. In fact, she moved to Unalakleet after grad school almost 30 years ago and was in Kotzebue right before moving to Wrangell.
“I started my career in Alaska, and I’m from a small town,” Taylor said. “I see it as coming home and coming back.”
During the height of the pandemic, she moved back to the United States to be closer to family. But, Taylor said immersing herself in a variety of different cultures has taught her valuable lessons about life.
“Everyone is really the same,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what color you are, what race you are, what economic status you are. We’re all people going through our life and our journey.”
She said she carries these values into her work as a K-12 counselor in Wrangell, which is important because Alaska itself is diverse. Taylor said her main job is to advocate for students academically, socially and emotionally.
Her goals include fostering community engagement and helping students plan for their futures, even elementary students.
To start this level of trust with the young ones, she provides individual and small group counseling support when needed.
She said it’s helpful to collaborate with the social-emotional learning teacher in the elementary school to support student well-being. She said especially if something is bothering the students.
“They cannot sit in the classroom or be in the classroom, be interactive in the classroom if they have something bothering them or something going on,” Taylor said.
But her work with high schoolers looks a tad bit different. She meets with them during their college prep class to discuss topics like resumes, scholarships and personal essays.
She also assesses students’ interests and skills to help them identify potential career and post-graduation paths.
Although Taylor’s been here for less than a month, she described Wrangell’s community as welcoming and willing to help.
“Everyone was so nice and so welcoming and friendly,” she said. “The kids are fantastic. They’re really nice. We felt right at home here.”
On her days off, she enjoys quilting, sewing and being outdoors.
