The Fort Issue 11 March 2022 | Page 7

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FEATURE

Get to know our college counsellor, Ms Colleen Currie and the counselling services she provides to the students at VIS.

College Counselling Services at VIS

Get to know Ms Colleen Currie

I began work as a College & Career Counselor in 2013 in response to my international school in Japan’s need to help students navigate the varied international application processes post high school. I’m originally from a small town an hour south of Seattle in the Northwest of the US. I met my husband in college and after I finished my Masters we served together as Peace Corps Volunteers in Mali, West Africa. We then returned to the States for a bit, starting our family in the San Juans on Lopez Island. When my youngest was 3 we left our island of 2,000 year-round residents and took positions as dorm parents and teachers at an international school on Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. We then moved to Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon and most recently we spent the last four years in Bangalore, India. We’ve been able to blend our varied previous experiences with our students here as we acclimate to this new country.

Ms Currie's role at school

For schools and careers, this role

Although competitions are still not as frequent as they were pre-Covid-19, Lara is very much looking forwards to the time when there will be multiple international events to compete in. There is a lot of drive to get good results in the hope of possible qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

With such ambitions in place, we are sure we will be seeing more of Lara!

mainly helps with completing forms for applications or providing reference information for internships or jobs. Those graduating as we navigate our way through a global pandemic have an even more heightened awareness of the importance of flexibility and stability when exploring future options. With over 20 years of teaching experience in the classroom in 4