Joseph Kessel is one of five counselors here at HHS, working hard to help students with schedules, college plans, and anything else they might need. However, despite all of the things counselors learn about each student, there's not much the students can learn about the counselors. Kessel worked in a five-six building then a middle school, before becoming a counselor. He went to college to become an English and Social Studies teacher, before eventually going back to get a master’s degree in school counseling. Kessel also used to be a barista at a coffee shop called Roots located in Grand Rapids. He loves coffee and will still pick up shifts from time to time when he’s not at work. 

As great as being a counselor sounds, as with any job, there are some troubles. “I would say the most difficult part of my job comes from the slow growth and change that comes before solving a problem,” said Kessel. According to him, most people want their problems fixed quickly and easily. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. Sometimes those situations take time, energy, patience and persistence to be resolved which can be hard to focus on or accomplish. 

But, while there are lots of difficult parts to being a counselor, there are a lot of good things, too according to Kessel. His favorite part about being a counselor is the students. “I love it when a student does a difficult thing or overcomes an obstacle and has the joy of knowing their hard work paid off,” said Kessel. “I think my favorite thing about working with high schoolers is hearing their creativity and dreams for the lives they want to make for themselves. There's something really powerful about the stories they're wanting to write with their futures.”