Monique Mena is the newest Upper School college counselor and brings valuable experiences to the job. After spending most of her life in the small, South Texas town of Edinburg, Mena set out in search of her career. In high school, she was the quiet band nerd with her nose always in a book.
“I just wanted something different where nobody knew me as my dad’s daughter, I’m my mother’s daughter, and my brother’s sister,” Mena said. “I was finally Monique.”
Branching out, she moved to College Station to attend Texas A&M and explore what was out there for her. There, her mentor encouraged her to look into college counseling. Straight out of college, she began as a counselor at a large high school and advised 800 students on her own.
“I just didn’t like that I didn’t have enough resources to help them because I was 22 and did not know nearly enough to help them as I could,” Mena said.
Mena has seven years of experience in this field, and in her first year at Hockaday is making a special impact in the college counseling department.
She strives to make sure that each student has the proper resources and support necessary for success. After each student meeting, she is sure to give words of encouragement and positivity.
“When I was at the public school, [my students] came from a variety of different home situations.” Mena said. “Sometimes it was important to be the person that said, ‘I believe in you’ that day.”
The support she provides for her seniors is rooted in her childhood and the way she grew up. Mena’s parents were very involved, and she still feels that she can reach out for a phone call whenever she just wants to talk.
“Any sports or activities that we did, [my parents] always supported us and were like, okay ‘what time do you need to show up? We’ll make sure one of us gets you there,” Mena said.
Mena said her own college application experience differed from the experiences she is now providing for her own Hockaday students.
“Nobody talked to us about it, like, oh there’s a research opportunity here that you should think about, or hey, for the career you’re thinking about, this would actually be a really great stepping-stone for that,” Mena said.
Throughout Mena’s time here, Elizabeth Jones, Co-Director of College Counseling, has observed her interactions with students and colleagues in the department’s highly collaborative environment.
“Miss Mena naturally connects with people,” Jones said. “She builds strong rapport with students.”
Hockaday prioritizes the individuality of each student and does well at getting to understand the needs of each. She enjoys working at Hockaday and is happy to be here every day.
“She [Miss Mena] has wonderful energy and positivity.” Jones said.
For Mena, the most special part about working at Hockaday has been appreciating how she can affect change and how change can affect her. Through the cohesiveness of the department and the way the staff works as a team, she hopes she can affect good change.
“I would say she’s an excellent addition to the Hockaday community,” Jones said. “I’m really excited for every single student at Hockaday to get to know her throughout their time in Upper School.”
