Julie Weltens, Counseling Office Administrative Assistant. Photo Courtesy of Julie Weltens.

Q: How long have you been at Cedar Park high school?

A: I’ve been here a little over three years.

Q: Have you had any other position here? 

A: I was the receptionist for two and a half years and then I moved over to this role.

Q: What is your favorite part about Cedar Park high school? 

A: I like the community and just all the people here make it great, all the parents, all the students, all the staff. 

Q: What did you major in and where did you go? 

A: I went to Texas State, but it was Southwest Texas State. I was one of the last graduating classes of Southwest Texas State and my major was a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in photography. 

Q: What made you interested in working as a student support staff member?

A: I like to help the kids, help the students. I like to work with the students.

Q: I know your daughters go here, did that take any part in anything?

A: Yes, because my kids are here and gonna be going here. I was volunteering up here a lot and that’s how I ended up working up here.

Q: Could you describe your role to me? 

A: I’m the receptionist for the counseling office. I keep up with all six counselors and their schedules and make sure that the students get checked in and get to see their counselors. I do a lot with senior award ceremonies and Home Access Center, resetting people’s passwords and stuff like that. Making sure that new students get tours. 

Q: What do you think it’s the most challenging part of your job? 

A: The most challenging part of my job would probably be just having to help students that are in crisis or you can tell are having problems or issues and wanting to help them.

Q: Could you tell me about one of your favorite encounters here?

A: I don’t know if I have a specific encounter, but for me, it’s just been getting to know all my student aids and each different group of student aids and creating a bond with students and watching them in their senior year and seeing where they all go to college.

Q: When you were in high school, did you visit the student support staff office?

A: No, I did not. I went to a small private school and honestly, I don’t even know if we had a counseling center. We probably did, but no, I did not ever go in there. 

Q: Do you like how it’s more encouraged to go to the student support office? 

A: Yes, I think that having a counseling office like this when I was in high school would have probably helped me, you know, make decisions like going to college and finding scholarships. Just working on my grades and knowing more about what to do because I just don’t feel like I had this kind of support in high school.

Q: What are things you want students to know about you? 

A: I want them to know that they can come to the counseling office for anything and that they can come and talk to me, and they’re welcome here. Whether they just need a break, they need to talk to someone, and whatever they need, they can come in here. 

Q: What’s the most important thing you students know about their future?

A: Is that it’s not set in stone, whatever they decide to do, whenever they leave here, you can always change and you can always improve, nothing sets down. I think I feel like a lot of students are like, I have to know, I have to figure out what I’m gonna do for the rest of my life and that’s that’s not the case. I tell my daughter, you need to pick something, but that doesn’t mean that’s what you have to do for the rest of your life. You can always change. 

Q: Do you call yourself more introverted or extroverted and why? 

A: Oh. I don’t know. I think I’m like an introverted extrovert. I’m kind of shy, but I love to be around people and talk to people, but I do hate public speaking and being front and center. I like to talk to people, but more like one on one or like small groups. 

Q: What do you do outside of school? Do you have any hobbies or interests?

A: Not really right now. I mean, it’s just my kids and my family, so, you know, taking care of my kids and my family. I do like to do art, so occasionally I like to do something crafty, something artistic. I made cutout fabrics and made them like a big Christmas tree on a wooden board to hang in my house. I like to paint, I like to do photography, but I just don’t have time for very much. I like to rollerblade, but I haven’t rollerbladed in a really long time, but I was an ice skater growing up and I coached ice skating for years. I started at the Galleria in Dallas and I started working there when I was 16 up to 22. When I moved here, I got a job at the ice rink and I coached, and then I was their group sales coordinator for about two years. 

Q: What are some of your favorite TV shows or movies? 

A: My favorite movie is maybe “50 First Dates.” I like sci-fi stuff. But my favorite band is the Dave Matthews band. 

Q: Who or what is your biggest influence? 

A: Probably my parents. I think that naturally your parents are your biggest influence. They worked hard and my dad always said, ‘find a job that you love and you won’t work a day in your life.’

Q: Do you have anything else to add?

A: I want students to feel welcome to come in here and to enjoy their college, their high school years. It goes by fast and everybody’s so anxious to graduate and move on to the real world and, you know, you only get to do this once, so do all the things. Do all the things and enjoy it.