Vero Gonzalez

Professional Academic Advisor

Vero Gonzalez

she / her / hers

Contact

707-664-2347
gonzalezv@sonoma.edu
Book an appointment

Supports

General-population undergraduate students declared in the following majors:

• Psychology (BA)*
• Computer Science (BS)
• Electrical Engineering (BS)

*Freshman class-standing only (0-29 units completed)

Education

A.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences | Napa Valley College

B.A. in Anthropology, minor in Education | University of California, Berkeley

M.S. in Counseling | San Francisco State University

Personal Advising Philosophy

My ultimate goal has always been to aim for a sense of empowerment for my students. I intend to create a safe learning space that not only encourages students to address their needs, but then actively work together to find solutions and develop skills so they can take the lessons learned in sessions outside of their academic environment and into real-world events. Although empowerment is the primary tenet in my advising philosophy, there are two other tenants which I have found are embedded in my ultimate goal of empowering students. These are: Creativity and voice. Together, these three tenets are held up by four pillars: Holism, Developmental, Beneficence/Nonmaleficence, and Self-Authorship.

Holism - Being a student is only one role a student is navigating. Thus, while a student may come in seeking assistance in scheduling courses or navigating school resources, I focus to consider all the different roles, responsibilities, and needs a student may be facing with not just their academics, but within their family and personal life as well.

Developmental - It’s not a one size fits all approach in advising. Not all students come from the same background or hold the same knowledge. My tenant of creativity assists me in bringing in creative approaches to work with each student and meet their needs to continue to assist their development.

Beneficence/Nonmaleficence - Simply put, it means I aim to “do no harm”, to be proactive, and to prevent harm when possible. I may not always give the answers a student would like to hear, but I strive to give students all the realistic options they have so they may make the best-informed decision possible.

Self-Authorship - I consider myself an educator at heart. My goal is to provide all the resources and knowledge available to students so that they can become the authors of their education. Self-authorship and authenticity are extremely important to me as a first-generation student, educator, and professional. I want students to unapologetically use their voices to empower themselves in their academic journey.