February 7, 2020

SVSU Recognizes National School Counselor Week

As part of National School Counselor Week, we are recognizing some of our stellar SVSU alumni. Samantha Brunnschweiler is a 2005 Cardinal alumna who inspires and empowers her students at Haslett High School. She earned her B.A. in Special Education from SVSU and then went on to earn her M.A. in School Counseling from CMU. “SVSU’s holistic education program allowed me to gain experiences K-12, which helped to shape the direction that led me to school counseling,” she said.

Her dedication to fostering student success and development fuels her passion for counseling. “One of the many things I enjoy about the school counseling realm is that each day presents itself with a different way to impact students. While a school counselor doesn’t see students on a regular basis like a classroom teacher, the opportunity to celebrate the small successes that can go unnoticed is second to none,” she said.

Brunnschweiler remains connected with her alma mater and continues the legacy of Red Pride. “As a school counselor, my district continues to partner with SVSU. We are grateful for the admission representatives that take the time to help our students,” she said. As a former SVSU student-athlete on the women’s tennis team, her engagement with Cardinal athletics has come full circle as well. Brunnschweiler and her husband coach Haslett’s tennis teams, and one of their former players is a standout 2019 graduate of the current SVSU tennis team.

The ability to help students grow and the challenge of finding the best way to support each individual student keeps Brunnschweiler inspired in her career. “Working as a school counselor requires great flexibility in thinking and approach. There are countless solutions for any given question in this field; however, the challenge is finding which combination of solutions provides the greatest amount of academic and socioeconomic support for a student,” she said. This week we celebrate the hard work and commitment of our dedicated school counselors, especially alumni like Brunnschweiler.