Traveling down the row of counseling offices will lead you to the last door in the corner of the hallway: room 103H. Peek through the glass window and you will see dim lights, green plants, comfy chairs and counselor Daniella Bienstock actively listening and talking with her students.
This year marks the start of Bienstock’s fourth year as a counselor at this school. She attended George Washington University for her undergraduate education, obtaining degrees in international affairs and anthropology, and earning a minor in history. She then went to graduate school at UMD College Park for school counseling.
Throughout college, Bienstock aspired to work in international affairs and policy. However, when she was a senior, Bienstock got a work-study job at the National Parks Conservation Association. “Something clicked, and that’s what I did for seven years after graduating. It’s not what I thought I would be doing. I found a job at a summer camp outside of Yosemite National Park and lived there for seven years,” Bienstock said.
At her job at Yosemite, Bienstock worked with middle school groups and later, she had a job where she was worked at a different school each week. “One of the things I liked most about that job was getting to know students individually and I thought that becoming a counselor would allow me to do that while also forming long-term relationships instead of meeting new people each week and saying goodbye to them at the end of the week. In high school, I got to know my counselor well. She was very helpful to me and I wanted to be helpful to others,” Bienstock said.
Bienstock emphasizes the importance of forming connections with her students, especially considering this school’s diverse student population. Throughout her years as a counselor, Bienstock has had students from all over the world and has been able to interact with people from different backgrounds.
She said that getting to know her students is the most rewarding part of being a counselor. “I just think my students are such great people. We talk a lot about leadership and most people think of [leadership as] being a club president and having a formal officer position in something and since I started here, I’ve been very impressed with how my students act in formal leadership positions. But, I think the things that have impacted me the most are seeing quieter acts of leadership,” Bienstock said.
When Bienstock used to work in the national parks, middle school groups would visit. “Their science teachers chaperoned and they would pull up their list of kids and be like, ‘this person’s off the wall’ or ‘this kid doesn’t do their homework.’ And those [students] were often the ones that excelled because they just had to move around and once they could get their hands on things, they were the leaders of our group. It’s just that in school, we value a very narrow type of leadership and don’t recognize the diversity of people’s strengths,” Bienstock said.
This ties directly to one of Bienstock’s most valuable beliefs: everyone is capable of learning. “I don’t think there’s anyone who’s not capable of learning and making a positive impact on their school community. Seeing students on a daily basis acting with integrity and wanting to make the world a better place gives me a lot of hope and makes me want to act the same in my life,” Bienstock said.
Renae McPherson is the pupil personnel worker at this school and four other surrounding elementary schools. McPherson has worked with Bienstock since the beginning of last school year and said that both as a counselor and a person, she is passionate about the welfare of students. “She’s a strong advocate for all students, not just students on her caseload but the entire school population. She particularly thinks about students who might not be included in the comprehensive plans that we may have as a district,” McPherson said.
Sophomore Daniela Naaman has Bienstock as her counselor and also emphasized Bienstock’s sensibility toward her students. “Ms. Bienstock is one of the most genuinely kind, empathetic and caring people I know. She always takes me seriously and does everything she can to help me when I need it. I love her office as well; I think it’s so cozy and just highlights the fact that she really works hard to make students feel welcome and happy at school,” Naaman said.
Counselors like Bienstock, who care deeply about students and the diversity of the student body, are pillars of support for students. “In school, the metric of success is typically graduation and post-secondary plans, but for many students, they need support getting there, just someone outside of their family to talk out aloud and [provide] encouragement, and that’s where I see the role of counselors,” McPherson said.
