At the beginning of February, Jacobi Martin became a new guidance counselor at Linganore High School. She replaced long-time Linganore counselor Kathy Becker as the counselor for students with last names starting with A-DAN.
Martin earned her master’s degree in counseling from Frostburg State University, as well as a Bachelor’s in psychology and a minor in social work from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
As she pursued her education, Martin said that she always saw herself working with younger students, having spent time at a Montessori school for children ages 2-6 and wanting to continue working with young children.
“I was actually nervous when it came time for my middle school and high school internship rotations,” Martin said.
Her transition from college to career life was “smooth.” In addition to working at the Montessori school, Martin also volunteered in elementary schools in Montgomery County. She had seven years experience working in schools when she finished her Master’s program for School Counseling.
Martin came to Linganore from Waverley Elementary School, where she also worked as a guidance counselor for two and a half years. She has experience working with all elementary grades and was overseeing the fifth grade class in her last year at Waverley.
Martin stated that her biggest accomplishment working at Waverley was making meaningful connections with students “in which they felt safe and respected.” When she took the position at Linganore, Martin looked forward to working in a high school.
“I was ready to work with high schoolers,” Martin said. “I can have more adult-like conversations with high schoolers because [they] are more mature.”
Martin is excited to meet and get to know students on her caseload, and she hopes that she can be someone students feel supported by and feel comfortable talking to.
“I love connecting with students, and I love the different kinds of conversations I can have with students,” Martin said. “I would like to make a connection with as many students on my caseload as I can.”
