Leticia Alcántara Cruz

1. Hi Leticia, Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, and what were you doing before joining THINK Global School?

I am from Mexico City, but I am fortunate to have been able to have called “home” many other places. I consider myself an incarnated story that has been enriched through personal and professional experiences. Since I am passionate about human processes and artistic expression, being a counselor in diverse educational settings has helped me intertwine art with self-knowledge and self-expression, which are fundamental for counseling. 

2. What inspired you to become a school counselor?

My insatiable curiosity about the human condition and affinity for adolescent psychology. 

3. Can you share a success story or a particularly memorable experience from your time as a counselor?

I see successful moments when former students reach out to me years after they have graduated and thank me for whatever they learned from my guidance. 

4. If you could make one major change to school counseling, what would it be?

I think counseling varies significantly according to the school’s needs or institutional values. From my experience, counseling is done very differently in every place. What I think would be very helpful is to include the counselor in the academic curriculum so these topics are part of the student’s daily activities (just as TGS does it!) and also to include relevant social topics that may affect student’s well being. 

5. Which of our core values do you feel you most embody, and why?

I think there are two of them that I relate primarily to: Satya and Ubuntu. I am an open-minded person and constantly questioning my life purpose and whether I am living in accordance with it (I relate this feature with Satya), but I also think that we can’t find our true selves alone or isolated; I have found my truest also amongst those I surround myself with and with whom I built community. 

6. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Wherever I could see the Northern lights.

7. Do you have any hobbies that you are passionate about?

I am very passionate about art in general and performing arts in particular. I also love storytelling; nothing makes me more joyful than finding a story well narrated, either in a book, play, movie, conversation, or any other form.