M-SEA Counselor

Job Title

M-SEA Lead Counselor

The CDEP/M-SEA Lead Counselor position is a summer leadership role responsible for overseeing a team of counselors and providing direct supervision and support to academically talented high school students during the CDEP/M-SEA summer academies. The Lead Counselor ensures that all program activities—including classroom sessions, field trips, and residential life—run smoothly and align with the academy's educational and behavioral expectations. This position requires the Lead Counselor to reside on campus with students and staff during academy weeks and to travel out of state for designated field trips.

Housing and meals are provided during the weeks students are on-site; accommodations are not provided for the weeks designated for office work.

• Provide supervision and leadership to all counselors; ensure they understand and carry out their duties effectively and professionally.
• Assist instructors in the classroom as needed and ensure all counselors are fulfilling their classroom support responsibilities—such as setting up labs, distributing materials, and conducting study sessions.
• Coordinate and oversee study sessions to ensure consistency in instruction and reinforcement of classroom learning. These sessions are instrumental in helping the students prepare for the post-test; students are required to score a minimum of 80% on the post‑test to participate in subsequent summer academies.
• Monitor student academic progress, behavior, and well‑being; address concerns promptly and report any major issues to the Program Coordinator or Assistant CDEP Director.
• Research academy topics and vocabulary prior to each academy to ensure a thorough understanding of the material. The Lead Counselor ensures that all counselors do the same and that creative methods (presentations, songs, skits, etc.) are integrated into student learning activities to make learning fun and engaging.
• Collect, review, and compile counselor and student evaluations, test results, and program data for inclusion in the final report for each academy. Provide a comprehensive written summary of student outcomes, counselor performance, and recommendations for program improvement.
• Coordinate and guide counselors in preparing for the closing ceremony, ensuring that student presentations effectively highlight key learning experiences from the academy ceremony.
• Oversee logistics for all field trips, including preparation of materials (i.e., coolers, first aid kit, meals, water, etc.) and ensuring that student medications and health needs are appropriately managed (i.e., inhalers, Epi Pen, allergy medication, etc.).
• Participate in daily staff meetings to assess the events of the day, address issues, and plan for the next day.
• Reside in the housing provided for each academy to maintain continuous supervision and support of students and staff.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the CDEP Director and/or Assistant CDEP Director.

• Lead Counselor will sit most of the time during the classroom sessions, however, there are periods during the class sessions that all counselors are expected to stand to assist the instructor, participate in an activity, or help students.
• Must be physically capable of hiking and walking extended distances over varying terrain during field trips.
• Must be able to remain alert and attentive during supervision of students in the classroom, on field trips, and in campus housing.

• A minimum of 1 year of college.
• Strong organizational, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Basic computer proficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to work effectively with high school students and college‑aged staff.
• Creative, energetic, dependable, positive attitude, respectful, fun‑spirited, and able to model professionalism and responsibility.
• Physically fit for hiking and outdoor fieldwork.

• 2‑3 years of college coursework.
• 1 year of experience working with or mentoring high school or college students.
• Strong interest and background in math, science, or education.
• Experience in creative instruction or student engagement…