Stacy Chase graduated from SUNY Jamestown Community College, kept an open mind about her career journey, and now is in a position to encourage high school students at Pine Valley Central School to do the same.
“I’m a wife and a mom, and now a school counselor,” Chase said. “I always want to help and I think that’s why and how I got to this point.”
Chase graduated from Southwestern High School, and her mother, Carol Saxton, encouraged her to come to JCC.
“I was undecided, and mom was an employee in the Human Resources department at the college, so she said ‘I’m going to make that decision for you,’ and I went along with it,” Chase said.
“I didn’t do a lot of career exploration in high school,” Chase added. “I thought I would go to college, because that was what I was supposed to do, and figure it out while I was there.”
college degrees, including the Jayhawk logo representing JCC.
She started her college journey in Human Services with a career in childcare in mind. Chase’s internship experiences while a student at SUNY JCC informed her decision to follow an administrative career path. After graduating from JCC, Chase began work as a secretary at Heritage Park. She met her husband, Jeff, there.
“Jeff knew I enjoyed working with kids and thought I’d be great at working in a school system,” Chase said. “He told me there was an open position at Pine Valley in the counseling office, so I applied for that and got it.”
Chase worked in the counseling office for nine years before deciding to continue her education. During that time, she was a class advisor, managed the fitness room, and coordinated the community service program.
“I loved what I was doing and I finally realized I wanted to take it to the next level,” Chase said.
Parenting three boys, and working full time, Chase continued her education through online course offerings and earned her bachelor’s degree from SUNY Empire State University and master’s degree from Capella University.
“It is a challenge to balance all of that,” Chase said. “Jeff had to take on a lot more responsibility at home so that I could focus on my studies whenever I had extra time. I’m very grateful for him because I could not have done it on my own. No way.”
Once she earned her master’s, Chase took a New York State certification exam for counselors and was ready when the school counselor position opened at Pine Valley.
“It worked out perfectly because I love the district and we live here,” Chase said. “The community has been so supportive of my path and goals. It meant so much to have people asking about my progress along the way, encouraging me when it was getting hard, and cheering when I got this job.”
Mention of “Mrs. Chase” is met with ringing endorsements throughout “The Valley.” Kourtney Almeida, junior and senior high school principal, said she is thrilled to see the impact Chase will make in her new role.
“Stacy is such a wonderful counselor, but an even better person,” Almeida said. “She is a hard worker, and dedicated to the community she serves. We are so lucky to have her at Pine Valley, and I’m excited to see how her passion and drive continue to enhance our counseling department.”
Chase’s office door proudly displays the logos of the colleges she attended. Her homey space is thoughtfully curated to be welcoming for students. Chase values every opportunity she has to listen and help students learn how to manage everything from stress to relationship issues.
“Sometimes they just need to offload some stress,” Chase said. “I’ll tell them ‘let me carry that for a minute, let’s sort this out,’ and they usually leave saying ‘I can do this.’”
Chase finds that students often think they have to follow a straight, rigid path from high school to landing in a successful career. She encourages them to have patience and explore their options.
“Students can be so afraid to wander from a path that they perceive their friends or family have set for them,” Chase said. “I encourage dreams and finding what is really in their hearts to do, and being open to the possibilities.”