Despite her numerous successes in helping students, Archie Williams High School counselor Sheila Souder never thought that she’d be where she is today. Over the years, Souder found a passion for helping students succeed and became a vital part of the Falcon community.

As a child, Souder adored swimming, hiking, tennis, and riding her horse around Maryland. She was a diligent student and enjoyed English courses such as American Literature. However, by the time Souder was a senior in high school, she felt burnt out. To remedy this, she manipulated her schedule to create a hybrid day composed of both work and school.

In the years following high school, Souder took time off to figure out her future. In her early twenties, Souder decided to continue her education at Sonoma State University (SSU). She initially majored in Economics and Finance but wanted something that fit her interests better, so she looked at the SSU coursebook, saw sociology, and swapped immediately.

Souder enjoyed the mellow atmosphere and small class sizes at SSU. During that time, she interned with a juvenile probation program, where she worked with teens who had committed minor crimes.

Those around Souder warned her that teenagers would burn her out, but she has always known that teens are “wildly interesting and complicated, full of potential… [and] funny.” 

After college and the probation program, Souder began her job at Archie Williams teaching an independent living class that showed students how to perform adult skills, such as sewing and cooking. Eventually, she grew out of her position, and when an Archie Williams counselor retired, she took the job.

Now, Souder assists students in the college application process.

“[My advice for students] is for them to look inward, to think about what they want, to think about what sparks their curiosity, and then to follow that,” Souder said.

Throughout her life, Souder has adapted. She didn’t expect to go to SSU, major in sociology, become a juvenile probation worker, or come to Archie Williams and become a counselor, but she’s happy. Every day, Souder shows students that it’s okay not to know everything in high school because they have their whole lives ahead of them.

“I might never be a millionaire but I love what I do,” Souder said.