STAFF & FACULTY DIRECTORY PROFILE
Samantha Mercado
Job Title:
Counselor
Department:
Counseling
Email:
Phone: (510) 577-9100
ext.
346
Started at O'Dowd:
2021
Degrees:
BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley; MS in Counseling, AMFT, and PPS Credential in School Counseling from Cal State East Bay
Originally from:
Vallejo, CA
Why I Teach:
I am a counselor because I love empowering students with the tools they need to be successful inside and outside of the classroom.
Most powerful teaching technique:
Listening, being empathetic, validating students' experiences
Why are the subjects you teach important?:
High school is such an important time as students begin to define who they are and who they want themselves to be. I am excited to support them in that journey as I remember how important my own teachers and counselors were to me.
Favorite quotes:
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt
Favorite trivia:
Fruit Loops are different colors, but they're actually all the same flavor
Recommended visual media:
Schindler's List, Get Out
Recommended reads:
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Educated by Tara Westover, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Hobbies or outside interests:
Cycling, hiking, watching Cal Football, playing video games.