Teacher spotlight: Mrs. Mitchell

The counseling department is full of counselors who are very experienced and trained. The counselors want to reach out and help students, especially those in need of help.

The department director is none other than Mrs. Julie Mitchell, who has worked for St. John’s for three years and is also the freshman counselor. Mrs. Mitchell is from Alexandria, VA and went to high school at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes. After graduating, she attended University of Virginia where she received her bachelors in sociology. She went to graduate school at Marymount University to receive her Master of Arts in counseling with specialization in school counseling.

Before coming to St. John’s, she worked at National Geographic as a coordinator for program development for international broadcast, which entails going to National Geographic’s international headquarters and helping develop new and original broadcasts.

She first came here to work as an academic support specialist for two years. However, both she and the administration saw that her talents and skills could be better applied elsewhere, the counseling department.

Personally, Mrs. Mitchell said she likes being a counselor because she gets to be more involved with students and there are social and emotional elements that were not prevalent in her old position. In addition to being the department head she is the freshman counselor. Mrs. Mitchell said she always feels inclined to help and support those around her who are in need of attention and aid.

Besides being able to administer the department and holding the other responsibilities of the department director, Mrs. Mitchell’s favorite thing about being director is her office. (I was in it, and it was really spacious, comfortable, and nice).

Other things you should know about Mrs. Mitchell are her love for Disney movies, Italian and Mexican food, and historical fiction novels. If you ever need to meet with her be sure to stop by the counseling center.