“Be kind to yourself,” says Secondary counselor Sommer Blohm, “self compassion goes a long way, and I think in adolescence, we have a hard time truly practicing that.”
Born in the U.S., Sommer has gained lots of experiences through living in multiple different countries, understanding different cultures and people.
What follows is Sommer’s story, in her own words:
Finding Her Path to Counseling
When I was younger I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be. But when I thought about what I would like to do in the world it was always to do something that is going to be helping people. When I was in my undergraduate program, I spent some time doing substance and alcohol abuse counseling and interned in an outpatient treatment facility. The group of people that I enjoyed working with most was the adolescent group. So I started to work with teenagers. I didn’t go into drug and alcohol abuse counseling after college. I took some time off and started working in a preschool. My husband was a teacher, so I thought maybe I could do counseling in schools. So I decided to go back for a master’s degree and do counseling in schools. I substitute taught from kindergarten all the way to high school to see where I fit best. I think the reason I chose to work in high school was just the relationships. In high school you connect with students differently. It’s a time when they are becoming more independent, pulling away from parents and forming stronger friendships. Having adults in your life that can be really trusting adults and caring adults is one of the most important relationships in those formative years.
Living and Raising a Family Abroad
The more cultures you’re exposed to, the more culturally confident you become. You learn to check your own upbringing, biases, and perspective. We also work in very diverse schools and understanding different cultures helps connect with students. Both of my kids were both born overseas. I don’t know what it would be like to raise them in the US. There are some privileges and challenges.
When we lived in Egypt, it was right after the revolution and that’s when we would have curfews, power outages and street protests—difficult for raising children. At the same time, we could travel around the country and see amazing historical places I would never have otherwise. Trying to figure out different health systems is difficult but usually most schools help you connect to resources. If we were in the US, my children wouldn’t have had the same education and experience. We likely would have lived in one place, growing up with the same people. Instead they’ve met new people, seen different places and had to say goodbye often. That’s hard, but it does help to build resilience.
I love Romania because it has different seasons, like where I grew up. Some places we have lived in, didn’t. I also like cities with a bit of grit, and Bucharest has its quirks. People here have been open and friendly. Students at this school, having experienced different cultures, are more open about themselves, which I appreciate. The access to a forest got me though [the COVID-19 pandemic]; I would go on walks often.
Advice for Her High School Self
There’s a lot of things I would tell my highschool self. Firstly, be kind to yourself. Self compassion goes a long way and I think that in adolescence we often don’t see ourselves as valuable as how our friends see us. Try not to be too hard on yourself. The other thing I would tell my high school self is you really can do hard things. Don’t shy away from taking on challenges because you’re going to learn and grow so much through the process. You’re never done learning and that is a wonderful part of life’s journey. We must keep learning, stay curious and adapt to this ever changing world that we live in.