Manuel Veloria
Newly hired full-time counselor Elizabeth Strother is looking forward to helping Pierce College 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.
A native of Los Angeles, 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’s degree in sociology in 1992 and a second master’s 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 eight years,” she said. “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 Cal State L.A.
In June 2001, she began working as a part-time Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOP&S) Counselor at 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.
According to Noble Eisenlauer, an anthropology instructor and Strother’s mentor, her extensive experience at 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, 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 Mejia, who is excited to graduate next semester.
Greg Butler, an alumnus of Pierce, said, “She’s responsible for what I’ve become today. She’s very affirming, always has a positive attitude towards me.” 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,” she said. “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. “For goals, I want to be better,” Strother said. “I want students to achieve what they want in life, because here everything is possible as long as you put it in your mind and don’t take opportunities for granted. I’m always here to help.”