Manuel Veloria
Veloria, Manuel Newly hired full-time counselor Elizabeth Strother is looking forward to helping Pierce students achieve their educational goals, one at a time. “I fell in love with the job. I love seeing students commit and achieve their goals in life and it’s just inspiring seeing students succeed,” Strother said with an enthusiastic voice and dedication in guiding students to success. A native of Los Feliz City, Strother attended John Marshall High School and continued her education at California State University Los Angeles, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1988. Afterwards, she furthered her career by earning a Master Degree in Sociology in 1992 and a Master Degree in Counseling in 1997, both from her alma mater. Strother discovered her love for counseling early on working as an accountant clerk. “I did it for 8 years. I was counseling my co-workers!” Soon after realizing her gift, she decided to leave that field and begin her career as an Outreach Counselor for California State University Los Angeles. In June 2001 she began working as a part-time EOP&S (Extended Opportunity Programs & Services) Counselor for Pierce College and recently assumed the full-time position last spring. “The job kind of chose me, I happened to stumble into it,” Strother said, who’s anticipating to help as many students she can. According to Professor Noble Eisenlauer, an anthropology professor and Strother’s mentor, her extensive experience in Cal State L.A makes her “a well-trained counselor.” And the students she counsels seem to agree. According to Annabell Mejia, a Registered Veterinary Technician student, said that Strother is very thorough with the guidelines. “She helped me a lot, especially when I was changing majors. She guided me all the way,” said by Mejia who’s excited to graduate next semester. Strother is determined to steer students in the right direction, and is willing to help students throughout Pierce: “Students are important-without the students there will be no Pierce. I’m always here to serve them and it pleases me to help students achieve their goals because I enjoy seeing them succeed!” In addition to her duties as an EOP&S Counselor, Strother also teaches Introduction to Sociology part-time at Pierce College.