Counseling Services

Gervais High School Counselors and Social Workers

Andrea Oropeza, M. Ed 

School Counselor, Gervais High School

andrea_oropeza@gervais.k12.or.us or 503-792-3803 x3024

Hello! I am so excited to be a School Counselor at Gervais High School! It is my passion and mission to help youth with their academics, personal/social needs and college and career goals.  I believe that the role of a school counselor is to help students realize their potential and to help open the doors of possibility, possibilities that they sometimes don’t see for themselves. Serving in a counseling capacity is especially meaningful for me; I am forever grateful for my high school counselor who believed in me and helped me realize my potential, without her, I truly don’t know where I’d be today. She taught me to work hard on scholarships and helped to make my dreams come true, dreams I didn’t even know I had. I went to Western Oregon University and earned my Bachelor of Arts in Social Science. I was a very active and involved student at WOU, I loved being a part of school clubs, helping with new student events and especially loved studying abroad. I was fortunate to be able to study in Australia and Mexico and did a service project in Peru. These were some of those dreams that I never knew I had. 😊 After graduating I was an Admissions Counselor for WOU for two years. In this job I got to travel all over Oregon visiting different high schools and helping students to apply to WOU and scholarships. This job helped me realize that my passion was specifically with helping students in high school with not only the college going process but also their personal/social needs as well and that is when I decided to go to grad school for school counseling. I earned my Masters of School Counseling at Lewis and Clark College in Portland and I have been a School Counselor since 2011. I feel so very lucky to have this amazing career and I am eager to work with all of my students to help them in any way that I can. Some fun facts about me: I am married to a Gervais HS grad and my father was also a GHS grad in the 70’s, I have 5 incredible daughters, I speak Spanish and I love football (I played some serious Powderpuff in college and I have the scars to show for it)!

Laura Zurita, MSW School Counselor, Gervais Middle and High Schools:
laura_zurita@gervais.k12.or.us or 503-792-3803 x3022

Laura Zurita, MSW

School Social Worker-Counseling Dept.
Gervais Middle/High School

laura_zurita@gervais.k12.or.us  503-792-3803 x3022

Hello, I’m one of the new counselors at Gervais School District and I serve 6th-12th graders. I have the privilege to work specifically with students who are struggling socially, mentally, and emotionally. I’m a first-generation Latina, born and raised in Oregon. My passion has been to work by serve youth and their families who’ve walked different paths of lives. I work on instilling inspiration, empowerment, and self-love by teaching students that there is more to life than what has been given, especially during rough times. Before coming to Gervais School District, I was a DHS Child Welfare worker for almost 4 years; working on reunifying families or finding a place where youth could call home. Then I worked for 2 years in Developmental Disabilities serving children and their families as a service coordinator.

I grew up in Lafayette, Oregon where I graduated from McMinnville High School in 2008, then completed two Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Spanish at Western Oregon University in 2013 and completed a master’s degree in Social Work at Portland State University, 2021. Currently I’m working towards obtaining a clinical licensure in social work.

I’m married to a wonderful man whom I’m proud to call my husband and best friend. We have a beautiful daughter named Lyra Fe who keeps me very busy outside of work. I love nature, trips to the beach and site seeing Oregon’s beautiful parks. My second home is in Mexico and when I can, I visit family and tour the country. I love both of my identities being a Mexican American.

What brought me to Gervais School District was the wonderful experience I had during my internship with the counseling department at GES. I loved and respected the schools’ values, support, and community. Since starting at GHS, I feel part of the Gervais family, the support and dedication staff, students and families have with each other makes this place rewarding.

A favorite Chinese Proverb of mine is, “Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime.” I look forward to working with you and your families. Do not hesitate to contact me. I also speak Spanish.

Available Services

*Academic and Career Planning

*Counselor Meeting Request

*Field Trips to Oregon College Campuses

Students will have the opportunity to visit college campuses.

*Military Recruiters

Military recruiters are on site at Gervais High School often. Appointments can be made with recruiters individually and with parents of interested students.

*Responsive Services

The Gervais High School counselor would be happy to meet with students and aims to be a safe place to discuss potential concerns they may be facing.

*SAT-required test for college admission

*Team Approach

The goal of the Gervais High School Counseling Department is to partner with all available resources in order to ensure the utmost well-being of students. A meeting with a parent or guardian may be requested to join school staff members in obtaining solutions to student challenges.

Scheduling

Resources

BST Referral Form (GHS)

Counseling and Social Emotional Support

Marion County Health & Human Services has established a warmline to help community members access resources to help them through the COVID-19 pandemic. Resources available through the warmline will be updated regularly in response to the growing needs of the community. 

  • *211:  For other community resources call *211 or visit 211info.org
  • Marion County WarmLine -7 days a week 8am-8pm 503-576-4602
    • Financial support for utilities and rent
    • Resources for Mental Health care
    • Information about food pantries and food boxes
    • Entertainment resources and ideas to beat boredom
  • You may also visit midvalleyresources.org 
  • Visit our Current Community Resources page for more local resources.

Financial Aid

FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Complete the FAFSA to see if you qualify for federal financial aid for post high school education. Most results in 20 minutes!

Eligible students can apply for the Oregon Promise grant at www.oregonstudentaid.gov/oregon-promise.aspx

**In order to be eligible you must meet all of the following criteria:

Complete an Oregon Promise Grant Application by the appropriate deadline

Be a recent Oregon high school graduate or GED recipient

Document a 2.5 cumulative high school GPA or higher; or a GED score of 145 or higher on each test

Plan to attend at least half-time at an Oregon community college within 6 months of high school graduation or GED completion

Be an Oregon resident for at least 12 months prior to attendance

File a FAFSA or ORSAA application and list at least one Oregon community college

Must not have more than 90 college credits completed or attempted

Beginning with Fall 2017 applicants, students may be subject to eligibility criteria based on their Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

Financial Aid Application Worksheet-English

Financial Aid Application Worksheet-Spanish (ficha de solicitud de asistencia financiera)

“Undocumented students are not allowed to receive federal financial aid (FAFSA) but they can file for Oregon financial aid (ORSAA) through www.oregonstudentaid.gov.

Scholarships

More Scholarship Opportunities -Please see the sites below for lists of more scholarship opportunities.

Deadlines Vary

Scholarships A-Z Website StudentScholarship.org Website

Scholarships and Funding Opportunities Open to Non-US Citizens:

Accessing college as an undocumented student-English

Accessing college as an undocumented student-Spanish (Cómo acceder a la universidad como estudiante indocumentado)