Decades of Devotion Lead to Continued Success for OU Counseling Alumna

Angie Niforos knows a thing or two about the importance of education. She’s spent the entirety of her professional career furthering her own education while working in schools to advocate for 学生s and their families.

“Throughout my high school and college years I enjoyed working with youth,”她说。. “在做过各种各样的工作之后——导师, 营队辅导员, 居民顾问, residence hall director — I decided to pursue a career in education.”

Upon receiving both her bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Michigan, Niforos taught at the Center for Occupational and Personalized Education (COPE) and Brother Rice High School. However, she ultimately felt that she could better serve the needs of her 学生s as 咨询师.

“After being a secondary English and social studies teacher for several years and wanting to do more to support 学生 needs, it felt like a natural progression to move into a career in school counseling,”她说。. “I especially feel strongly about the importance of the school counselor supporting the mental health needs of 学生s.”

Niforos eventually pursued two more academic degrees — a master of arts in guidance and counseling and an Ed.S. in educational leadership and administration — from Eastern Michigan University. 她有四个学位, she accepted a position as 咨询师 in the Grosse Pointe Public School System, 她在哪里工作了22年.

In 2010, she decided to take her academic endeavors a step further, pursuing a Ph.D. in counseling from 十大菠菜台子, which she completed in 2016. Although it marks her fifth academic degree, Niforos said earning a Ph.D. was particularly special because it strengthened her skills while allowing her to fulfill one of her personal and professional goals.

“Oakland’s counseling program strengthened my skills in a number of areas related to 儿童和青少年咨询，”她说. “The research skills and therapeutic techniques I learned have added great value to what I could offer.”

在开放大学期间, Niforos interned under Professor Christine Summerell with the master’s level School Counseling and Consultation classes while conducting research focused on middle school counseling. 她的研究在她的博士论文中达到高潮， Middle School Counselors’ Use of Academic Interventions to Enhance Student Success. 

根据Niforos的说法, she found OU particularly appealing because of the guidance and support she received from the counseling professors in her time as a Ph.D. 学生. 她引用了她的论文主席和导师，Dr. 丽莎Hawley, 作为一个主要的影响, while also expressing gratitude for the rest of her dissertation committee — Drs. 罗伯特·芬克，朱莉娅·史密斯和托德·莱伯特.

Niforos目前是布朗内尔中学的一名辅导员. 在她的角色中, she is responsible for providing and maintaining a comprehensive program that serves the academic, 学生的社会和情感需求, 以及职业和大学规划.

“Building relationships with my 学生s and collaborating with my colleagues to ensure that 学生s have their academic and social/emotional needs met is my top priority,尼福罗斯说. “I am passionate about my profession and the impact school counselors have in advocating for 学生s and families.”

近年来, Niforos was responsible for helping Brownell become one of only five schools in the state to earn the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation from the American School Counselor Association. 受到成就的启发, Niforos became a RAMP reviewer to learn about the efforts of other school counseling programs across the country. She eventually returned to OU as a guest speaker to educate graduate 学生s about the process of receiving the RAMP designation as well.

The Michigan School Counselor Association also recently honored Niforos for her work by naming her the 2020 Michigan School Counselor of the Year. She has credited her education from OU with helping her to achieve this distinction and fulfill other long-term professional goals.

“The OU doctorate program not only further prepared me for my current role, but established a strong foundation for my future plans of possibly teaching at the college level or going into private practice,尼福罗斯说.

For additional information on the counseling programs available at OU, visit 奥克兰.edu/counseling.