This year Xavier welcomed two new guidance counselors, Sydnie Sahhar and Kelly Boerckel.
Sahhar is exhilarated to join the Xavier family. She wanted to become a counselor because she deeply cares about young women who are trying to navigate their high school experiences.
Her passion for counseling sparked in college where she was a YoungLife leader. YoungLife is a program whose mission is to help students grow in faith. As a leader, she spent time with high school students, mentoring them. She thought that this was a great way to help them deepen their faith.
Sahhar was drawn to Xavier because of the school’s integration of faith into its students’ educations. “I love that I get to talk openly about my faith at work and make a difference in that way,” Sahar said.
Additionally, she was drawn to Xavier’s renowned softball program. Sahhar played softball in college and will be a co-head coach for varsity softball this spring.
Her goal for students this year is to create a safe space where they feel loved and comfortable. She strives to build meaningful relationships and help students reach their academic and career goals.
Boerckel is thrilled to become a member of the Xavier community. Her love for counseling started when she was in college, volunteering at the juvenile youth probation department and Teen Halfway Homes. From then, she knew she wanted to work with youth.
Before coming to Xavier, Boerckel worked at a GreatHearts high school, but she always loved Xavier. “What drew me is just working with the best of the best. I’ve only been in Arizona for six years but I’ve always admired Xavier’s great reputation,” said Boerckel.
She is amazed that Xavier girls have so many opportunities available to them and is excited to work with them. Boerckel urges students to appreciate every moment because not everybody has the same opportunities and advantages.
While working with students, she aims to be their advocate. “My goal is to help cultivate students, nurture them and give them the tools and skills they need to self-advocate.”
This year her objective is to integrate herself throughout the community. She doesn’t want to be “another face on the website.” She wants to be a person her students can come to and feel safe.
Alexis Quintero, chair of the guidance counseling department, is ecstatic to have Sahhar and Boerckel join the team.
When choosing new staff members, Quintero looks for applicants who are true advocates for young women, “people who would lift up all students and work to find solutions to problems that would always keep our students first.”
She says that teamwork is the dream work, and that having two new staff members makes it all the more exciting to create a team that cares for one another as much as they care for their students.
Altogether, Xavier’s counseling team focuses on the student’s well-being and successes, guiding them toward bright futures.
