The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) has named Orange Coast College academic counselor Eileen Tom the Community College Counselor of the Year for 2021-2022. Tom, who has worked at Coast since 2008 and currently serves as chair of the counseling department, will be honored at the 2021 Virtual Orange County Counselor Symposium on Nov. 10.
In addition to being the assigned counselor for OCC’s Transfer and Honors programs, Tom also serves on the College’s Curriculum Committee and is the counseling liaison for OCC’s STEM Academy. She is a leader within the counseling department, and has gone above and beyond during the past 18 months of the pandemic caused by COVID-19. “Because of Eileen’s leadership during the pandemic, our counseling division was provided with much needed training on how to use Zoom, Cranium Café and Ring Central phone counseling in a remote, virtual environment.,” says OCC Dean of Counseling Renee De Long. “She is to be commended for her commitment to our students and we are delighted that she is being honored as the Orange County Counselor of the Year..”
The theme for this year’s Symposium will be “Reconnecting, Resetting and Restoring” and will focus on promoting excellence, equity, and access for all learners. This theme resonates with Tom, who was the first member of her family to attend college at OCC. “It wasn't easy to navigate, and I spent six years struggling to support myself and paying my way through college working as a food server and at a group home for abused kids. Along the way, the outstanding professors I had at OCC helped ignite a passion for education,” she says. “Returning to work at the college that started me on my journey is a point of great pride.”
Tom is grateful to be recognized by the OCDE as this year’s community college counselor of the year. “I am grateful and deeply appreciative to be valued for the work I care so deeply about,” she says. “I'm thankful to work with such amazing educators who inspire me and the students they impact every day.”