Honor Society® member
Valerie Laugier
- Lamar University
- School Counseling
- Class of 2015
- CEDAR PARK, TX - Texas
Member since January 2015
About
I am a first generation American citizen, and a first generation college graduate. I was born and raised as an only child in Southern France in a very modest family. I first came to Austin, Texas to teach French at the University of Texas, and life took a different turn. With numerous opportunities and doors opening up, I never went back to my country of origin. I believe my life theme is international-mindedness and global cultural exchanges. I thrive in multi-cultural environments and enjoy helping others understand different cultures and ways of thinking and living. I am the single mother of two awesome, almost grown teenage boys of 16 and 19: one is a high school junior and fabulous musician, the other a sophomore in ChemE at UT Austin.
I love to read, cook, travel, practice yoga, meditate, and run, and learn, learn, and did I say learn.
Education
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TEACH Quest Austin Texas
teacher certification
2007 – 2008
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UT Austin Online
Paralegal Studies
2000 – 2001
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University of Texas at Austin
Comparative Literature
1990 – 1996
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University of Nice
English Literature
1986 – 1988
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University of Nice
English and Translation Studies
1983 – 1986
Honors and awards
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Summer Study Grant at Cambridge University, UK - 1985
opportunity to study literature at the reputed British university
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Council of Europe and SWEA scholarships 1994
Funding to carry out dissertation research on Swedish Women's Literature at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Goals and interests
- Career goal
Becoming a bilingual school counselor to serve the growing number of students with a Hispanic background and their families, who lack knowledge of U.S. higher education requirements and the confidence to apply, attend and find solutions to finance it. I am also a newly certified yoga teacher after 22 years of practice, and plan to offer yoga and relaxation/visualization sessions for students on campus as a tool to help them better manage the stress of daily life, exams and testing, and planning their future.
- Graduate school interests
I am very interested in the multicultural aspect of counseling and want to broaden my understanding of various cultures and how they approach growth and self-development. Because of past graduate school work in gender studies, I have a strong interest in the development of teenage girls and the hurdles young women face when developing their identity in our culture and choosing a professional path. It does not mean I will not be interested in supporting boys in my practice. I will. I am also very keen on the idea of teaching college-bound students about negotiating dual-career relationships in their future since this seems to be an area of friction in the adult world. Finally, because the school counseling profession is more and more reliant on properly conducted research studies to back up the value of counseling services, I would like to revive my strong interest and ability in maths to be able to generate reliable campus data for my campus and district.
- Outside the classroom
Yoga and Meditation (I am a Vipassana practitioner and attend 10-day silent retreats once a year)
Cooking (love to be creative in the kitchen: Asian, vegan, French, Latino influences... I get inspired by the sensory aspect that counterbalances a desk job filled with writing and thinking.
Running: I have training for marathons and triathlons but I keep it simpler and shorter nowadays. It keeps my body and mind in shape. I brainstorm better in motion.
Music: I still need to go back to my guitar and what I taught myself a few years back before divorce and grad school took over my time.
Traveling: nature, culture, exploration. The simple, direct way of traveling. No fancy resorts, just the real thing.
Additional information
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