{"id":9207,"date":"2023-03-14T09:26:04","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T14:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=9207"},"modified":"2023-03-14T09:26:04","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T14:26:04","slug":"uw-green-bay-alum-and-school-counselor-see-how-he-rises","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-green-bay-alum-and-school-counselor-see-how-he-rises\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Green Bay alum and school counselor: See\u2014How He Rises"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
School Counselor See ViXai Thao poses in front of Washington Middle School in Manitowoc. UW-Green Bay, Sue Pischke University Photographer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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See ViXai Thao is a morning person. Which is a good thing, since he\u2019s usually at work from about seven \u2018til ten.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe actual workday doesn\u2019t start until 7:20, but I like to come in early.\u201d This is also good because while he\u2019s not a farmer, he has quite a flock to attend to\u2014nearly 500 middle school students at Washington Middle School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While the prospect of facing a classroom with 13-year-olds first thing in the morning might strike one as a daunting task, Thao takes it to the next level. As the school\u2019s \u201cStudent Advocate\u201d he could potentially interact with any of them\u2014often during not ideal circumstances. School counseling has also come a long way from hallway pass compliance, playing \u201chooky\u201d, or playground fights. Mental health, homelessness, and drug abuse are just a few of the complex problems he might grapple with on any given day. Luckily, he is well prepared.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Thao explains, \u201cI\u2019m a trained, licensed\u00a0school social worker<\/a>. His time and energy are directed almost solely toward the welfare of the students. He describes his typical responsibilities as that of a crew member on a vast ship transporting hundreds of adolescents productively and safely through their day. Often, it\u2019s smooth sailing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Other days? Thao has become an expert at taking the temperature of a school day\u2014and when the volatile mix of academics and adolescents starts to bubble over, \u201cYou can feel the emotional intensity. Then I would tell the teachers, \u2018I\u2019m waiting\u2019\u2026\u201d For what he could never be sure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s rarely a boring day. Or the same day twice.\u201d It takes a unique blend of empathy, instinct, and professionalism to cope with each day\u2019s new challenge. And Thao looks forward to every day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0\u201cI love it. It comes naturally to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What didn\u2019t come easily for Thao was the educational path that led him to this job he loves because it wasn\u2019t his first choice. His credentials are impressive: License School Social Worker\/Counselor with a\u00a0master\u2019s degree in social work<\/a>\u00a0and a bachelor\u2019s of science in human development\u2014all from UW-Green Bay. But originally, and true to his nurturing spirit, Thao had always aspired to help people, but as a nurse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And even beyond his career choice, it does seem that greater forces would someday bring him to Washington Middle School. Thao grew up and attended high school in Manitowoc. His parents, Hmong refugees, arrived in Manitowoc in 1993 and have never left. Even though he attended Manitowoc public schools, he had no intention of going into education. Nursing was the career Thao envisioned for himself\u2014a career path than ran in the family. Both of his sisters and a cousin are nurses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Thao was determined to get an early start. \u201cMy junior and senior year was all about getting ready for college and a nursing career.\u201d Today, he would not counsel others to take the same approach. \u201cIf I could have given myself advice I would say \u2018just enjoy your high school experience.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Especially if your post-high-school plans get off to a rocky start. \u201cI applied to four different nursing programs, but didn\u2019t get accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But ironically, his struggles to get into nursing school revealed a new career path\u2014counseling. \u201cWhen I was getting ready to become a nurse and taking all my classes, all my friends told me I needed to go into education.\u201d Thao became the unofficial academic advisor among his friends. \u201cThey told me, you should work in education. That\u2019s where you belong.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He took their sage advice. \u201cI sucked it up and said, \u2018Fine, I\u2019ll give it a try.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But it was only after completing his undergraduate degree in human and an internship at UW-Green Bay that Thao would admit to himself that \u201cI did like education.\u201d But as a counselor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And while it was coursework that swayed Thao toward education, his field experiences working in a juvenile detention center and homeless shelter \u201cexposed me to the true social work side of things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Even his \u201cstudent counseling\u201d experience at Chilton High School, which has an enrollment of 382 students, was revelatory. \u201cI was very surprised,\u201d Thao recalled. \u201cI had a vision going in that the students would all come from farming families and would be coming to school on tractors.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Once again expectation differed from reality. \u201cThey were very welcoming and the community itself was a lot of fun to work in because it was a very close-knit community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Career trajectory set. All that was left was to find a job that fit. During his last semester in graduate school, Thao applied to over 40 positions. \u201cEverything from the hospital, clinical settings, public health services. Primarily because there were few social work opportunities in school settings.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Thao also applied to 11 different school districts and interviewed at four of them, including Manitowoc. And Manitowoc offered him a position\u2014his dream job in his hometown. Or as he puts it, \u201cI got to Washington Middle School\u2014and I\u2019m not going to lie\u2014by luck.\u201d And if that includes determination, perseverance, and a deep caring for others\u201a we should all be that lucky.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What gets you out of bed in the morning?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Working with people. I never know what to expect. To know I\u2019m going to be learning something new.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What\u2019s the last lesson life taught you?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Positivity. Right now the most important thing is you. That\u2019s my lesson for today. Focusing on myself and letting others know it\u2019s OK to give yourself the attention that others aren\u2019t giving you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How has education opened doors?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I had personally always wanted to go beyond my bachelor\u2019s degree. My dream and my goal were to have a master\u2019s. My graduate studies have given me more opportunities than I know what to do with. I\u2019ve also gained more opportunities to join research efforts involving mental health and the Hmong community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What\u2019s education\u2019s biggest challenge?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We all work with students regardless of what our roles are. Professionally, I get down to the kid\u2019s level mentally and emotionally. I teach these lessons in a way that the kids will understand and is age-appropriate for them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the college level, individuals who are not truly engaged with students daily need to understand students\u2019 needs and how to provide those services. It never hurts to be friendly! And it shouldn\u2019t be painful to answer questions simply and clearly. It\u2019s like going to the professionals, but still not understanding what they\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At UW-Green Bay, we believe that every person has the power to Rise. No matter who you are, where you\u2019re from, or what you want to be. We invite you to\u00a0read more Rise Stories<\/a>\u00a0about people from all walks of life who are blazing a brighter future for our region.<\/p>\n

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Link to original story: https:\/\/news.uwgb.edu\/featured\/03\/06\/see-how-he-rises\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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See ViXai Thao is a morning person. Which is a good thing, since he\u2019s usually at work from about seven \u2018til ten. \u201cThe actual workday doesn\u2019t start until 7:20, but I like to come in early.\u201d This is also good because while he\u2019s not a farmer, he has quite a flock to attend to\u2014nearly 500 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":9211,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[111],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-9207","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-green-bay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/9207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=9207"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=9207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}