Professor of Counseling
2019 Cuyamaca Teaching Excellence Award Nominee
2007 California Virtual Teaching Award
I have been teaching Counseling and Work Experience courses at Cuyamaca College since 2006. I have over 23 years of experience in Education which includes teaching and counseling at community college, high schools and graduate university levels and I present at national conferences on Student Success and Career Development. I am Passionate about Career Development Theory, Workforce and Work-Based Learning and I am credentialed to teach and counsel K-16 students with experience as a college counselor, high school counselor, high school English and ESL teacher. I've taught underrepresented students in alternative educational settings at the first Charter School in San Diego county and I enjoy helping students at all levels find their passion in college, career, and life.
I LOVE technology and have always used technology in my counseling and teaching. I was fascinated with instructional design and online learning early in my career and took the time to learn various Learning Management Systems (LMS) and online pedagogy. I have served and co-chaired our Online Teaching and Learning Committee in the past and I have developed and created a number of workshops and procedures to help online teachers. I have won awards for my online teaching and I present at online teaching conferences on instructional design for student support services.
I LOVE curriculum and have always enjoyed creating and writing new courses. I am currently the Curriculum Co-Chair for Cuyamaca College in which I work with our Curriculum Committee on course approvals and much more. It is a best fit role that matches my personality and work preferences.
Psychological type is fascinating to me and I first became MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Certified in 2007 which is based on Carl Young's theory of personality. Understanding our own personality preferences help us in choosing a major and a career and how to get along with others (our loved ones, classmates, professors, and working colleagues). I teach the concepts of personality type and the MBTI in my courses.
Career Counseling is another strength of mine and I enjoy teaching Career Development Theory to my students. I am also Strong Certified to administer the Strong Interest Inventory - a wonderful tool for Career Counseling.
I raised my family in beautiful San Diego and have been very active in my community. My youngest son, Cody, attends Columbia University Engineering in NYC, Class of 2021 and my oldest son, Chase, graduated Harvard, Class of 2015 and has two Master's Degrees in Music from New England Conservatory of Music (2016) and Berklee College of Music's Global Jazz Institute (2017) and now faculty at Berklee's Global Jazz Institute.
I LOVE music. My oldest son is an amazing jazz pianist/composer and I have grown to love the variety of music he shares from his bands. You can learn more about Chase at www.chasemorrin.com.
I LOVE to travel. Boston and New York City are rapidly becoming second homes to me because both my boys are living on the East Coast. Other great destinations have included India, UAE, Iceland, Israel and much more. In my travels, I enjoy immersing myself into the culture and getting to know the people. I'm intrigued by the arts, education, workforce and economical systems in different parts of the world.
In addition to traveling and attending live music concerts, I LOVE gardening and hiking!
2020 Committees and Groups I serve:
- Faculty Co-Chair, Curriculum Committee
- Faculty Co-Advisor, Phi Theta Kappa
- Institutional Effectiveness Council
- Student and Institutional Success Council (SISC)
- Web Communications Committee
- Scholarship Committee
Degrees and Credentials
- EdD Student - Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University
- MA Counseling Education, Point Loma Nazarine University
- Pupil Personal Services Credential (to counsel K-12 students in California Public Schools)
- BA English, with an emphasis in Creative Writing, San Diego State University
- Single Subject Teaching Credential (To teach Language Arts in California Public Schools)
- Cross Cultural Language Academic Certificate (CLAD)
- Distance Counseling Credential
- College Counseling Certificate
- Strong Interest Inventory Certified and MBTI Certified
- 21st Century Skills Certified
- Online Teaching Certified
- Peer Online Couse Review Certified
Experience
- Curriculum Co-Chair
- Community College Program Coordinator/Department Chair, Counselor and Professor
- Career Services Leader/Coordinator
- Online Trainer/Mentor
- Graduate Counseling Educator and Supervisor
- High School Guidance Counselor
- Coordinated AVID (a program to help underrepresented students prepare for college)
- Coordinated GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) programs and served on the district's Task Force
- Taught English and ESL
"Be daring, be different, be impractical; be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safer's, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary." —Cecil Beaton