Cheery pink paper flowers and paintings decorate the walls of GM’s newest counselor, Mrs. Illana Reyes’ office, revealing her personality: bright, friendly, and welcoming. After wrapping up a conversation with a colleague, she greets me warmly as we discuss her new job and life at George Mason.
Reyes’ arrival isn’t the only recent change George Mason’s counseling department has undergone. Mrs. Nancy Goldman and Mrs. Marcia Schumann left at the end of the 2014-2015 school year, being replaced by only one counselor due to budget constraints. Budget plans for next year remain unknown. Head of the counseling department Mrs. Kurjanowicz has said that with this loss in counselors, the three remaining “have a significant increase in their case loads; approximately 70-80 additional students.”
A veteran in the counseling department, Reyes previously worked at Annandale High School (AHS) in Fairfax County for eleven years and thoroughly enjoyed it. With over 2,400 students at AHS, she dealt with a much larger population of students than at George Mason.
“While I loved Annandale and I loved my students, it was time for a change” said Reyes. “It was a very unique opportunity coming over [to a smaller school.]”
Reyes’ first impression of George Mason as a community was during Mustang Block. Seeing everyone walk around, focused on their task at hand, and being polite left a positive impression. Reyes’ said she remembers thinking, “This place is amazing, I want to be a part of this.”
Reyes was born in New York City, and raised in Pennsylvania. She spent her high school career at a small, private school in New Jersey. Reyes was very involved in her high school, participating in all the theatre productions the school put on. “It was very similar to George Mason in a lot of ways, [it being a smaller school],” said Reyes.
Reyes completed her undergraduate degree at George Washington University, and her graduate at Marymount University. She has two children, and said, “keeping them happy and healthy is my number one priority”.
Now Reyes sets her sights on staying in the school district for a long time. She aims to get to know all the students and faculty, and become part of the close-knit community at George Mason.
