Alessandra’s Spanish skills have been essential for reaching out to Latino students and their families (mostly from Ecuador and El Salvador) who are in need of extra support to transition to a new culture and a new school environment. Her cultural competency and anti-racism lens has given her the opportunity to participate in and co-facilitate meetings and professional development events organized by the Amherst school district addressing issues such as peer mediation, grief, hidden biases, white supremacy, anti-racism education and restorative justice.
Recently, Alessandra was able to organize support groups and forums focusing on LBGTQ+ rights, gender identity, and give space to the multiple voices of students who identify as transgender, non-binary and/or gender fluid.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the inauguration of the Cátedra Libre Elaine de Beauport, Universidad Central de Venezuela: Convivencia, Cognicion y Conciencia, Alessandra was one of the presenters for the International Virtual Reunion “Toward the Infinite Human” organized in November 2020. Her presentation was about the impact of neuroscience and mindfulness techniques in the daily work of a high school counselor.
As a school counselor in Amherst Regional High School for more than two decades, Alessandra’s responsibilities have included but are not limited to college and career advising, 504 Accommodations Plan, personal and academic counseling, mentoring new counselors, supervising student interns from the UMass, Amherst and organizing exchange programs to Spain. Over the last decades, the school counseling department has also designed, planned and implemented a variety of SEL (Social Emotional Learning) lessons for high school students. She has experience in a variety of topics from mindfulness, to DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and restorative justice practices.
In her free time, Alessandra is also a member of a virtual QI Gong community and has been practicing meditation techniques and mindfulness for several years. She is the mother of triplets and she is now enjoying her four grandchildren. When she retires in June 2025 she is looking forward to reconnecting with non-profit organizations locally and internationally to continue her work in counseling, peace education and human development. Alessandra lives with her family in Amherst.[1-24]
Email: amucciramos@gmail.com