At the front of the school, greeting students while they walk in, Leach stands with her colleagues. Chatting away about recent news or personal achievements, Leach shares a funny memory with counselors Kevin Terry and Amrita Khatta. Meanwhile, she gathers her essentials — her laptop, pens, and coffee — in preparation for discussing course scheduling with underclassmen. 

Leach wasn’t always interested in becoming a counselor, but working as an admissions officer at Christopher Newport University completely changed her perspective. “I worked a lot with high school counselors, which led to me to realize I actually enjoyed working with high school students,” Leach said. “I decided to go back to school to get my masters [to become a counselor]. I just graduated last May, and this is my first official counseling job.” 

Leach has enjoyed her brief time at Rock Ridge. “Everyone is super supportive — from the top administration down to the students,” Leach said. “Everyone is willing to do what needs to be done to care for each other and support each other through school and work.”

Leach especially appreciates her mentor in the counseling office, fellow counselor Amrita Khatta. “[Khatta] has been awesome, we met weekly to help me transition into the full time job and she’s an amazing counselor and getting to see her work with students is awesome,” Leach said. 

Leach’s day to day as a counselor not only involves having phone calls with parents and meetings with students and teachers, but also dealing with unexpected situations that require her attention. “We loosely plan out our day, but we also have random stuff come up, such as a student having a tough day and wanting to talk,” Leach said. “Everyday looks a little different.”