Her Story
About Sandra
Sandra Bevans has been in the field of education for 27 years. She began her career as a paraprofessional at a high school and later worked in a college counseling center as a secretary while pursuing her education. Bevans advanced to director of the EPI program, earned her teacher certification by passing all exams on the first attempt, and taught at levels ranging from kindergarten to college, including adjunct roles. Since 2015, she has served at a local charter middle school in Palatka, Florida, initially teaching language arts before transitioning to part-time and then full-time school counselor. Her areas of specialization include counseling students on social issues, career counseling, Florida Virtual School coordination, and developing 504 plans. Bevans earned a master's degree in psychology as the first in her family to attend college and is a member of the Florida School Counselor Association. She participates in school initiatives such as Feed the Need and shoe drives for students in need. Bevans credits her success to encountering supportive individuals along her path, including her current boss and her husband, and values honesty, integrity, and the golden rule in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sandra
01What do you attribute your success to?
Really just running into the right people along my path that have helped me through some of the hurdles. My current boss has been amazing, and my husband has been very supportive.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My counselor at the college told me to take both Intro to Business and Intro to Psychology and see which one I enjoy the most. I knew almost within the first couple of weeks that psychology was it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just don't give up. If whatever you're deciding that you want to do in life, don't quit. Keep persevering. Some of it's gonna be hard. But if it were easy, it wouldn't be that fun.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges are not having enough time to do everything... my day never looks the same. Opportunities open up when counselors retire, and there's a lot of desire for people wanting to move into counseling. Mental health counselors are more abundant now due to school shootings.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, integrity, just being true to yourself, and treating others the way you want to be treated. The golden rule is all my favorite.
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