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Academic Direction
Clarifying goals, habits, options and priorities when coursework or future plans begin to feel tangled.
Education & Academia · Student Counselor
A steadier place to find your way.
A counselor portfolio built around the idea of a warm guiding light: a thoughtful space for academic direction, personal growth, transitions, and practical next steps.
0Years supporting learners
0Student conversations
0Campus workshops
0Guidance focus areas
“Good guidance does not write someone else's future. It helps them hear their own thinking more clearly.”
Counseling philosophy
Warmth, structure, and room to think.
I support students and emerging adults through academic pressure, uncertainty, identity, belonging, confidence, and transitions. My approach combines attentive listening with practical reflection so every conversation can lead toward a clearer next step.
Active listeningAcademic guidanceStrength-based practiceTransition supportGoal reflectionWorkshop facilitation
How I support
Guidance shaped around the moment.
Support areas are presented as practical, human-centered pathways rather than generic services.
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Student Wellbeing
Creating a supportive space to reflect on stress, belonging, confidence, and everyday challenges within an educational journey.
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Transitions & Next Steps
Supporting change across schools, programs, career exploration and new environments with grounded planning.
My process
From "I'm not sure" to a next step that feels possible.
A simple four-part conversation framework keeps the work calm and actionable without forcing every person into the same path.
01
Arrive
Start with what is present now (questions, pressures, hopes and context) without rushing toward an answer.
02
Untangle
Separate the immediate problem from the assumptions and competing priorities surrounding it.
03
Explore
Look at strengths, options, patterns and resources that can widen the view of what comes next.
04
Move Forward
Leave with a practical next step, a clearer question, or a useful experiment to continue the process.
Selected impact
Guidance that reaches beyond one conversation.
Representative examples focused on outcomes and learning environments rather than confidential client details.
Finding the Thread
A small-group reflection series helping first-year students connect academic routines with personal values, belonging and realistic weekly goals.
Decision Studio
An interactive framework for comparing academic and career pathways without reducing decisions to a single "right answer."
New Ground
Orientation conversations and resources designed to make major educational transitions feel more navigable.
What people value
A calm presence. A useful question.
Anonymized words from students and workshop participants.
I left with more than reassurance. I had a way to think about the decision.
The conversation made a difficult semester feel smaller and more manageable.
Warm without being vague, practical without losing the human part.
Connect
Let's begin with a conversation.
Use the form for an enquiry, workshop conversation, or educational support discussion.
✉ maya@hearthline.example☎ +1 503 555 0142
◎ Portland, USA