As a fresh Portland resident and new member of the La Salle community, school counselor Mr. Kevin Doyle is slowly getting used to his new environment.

Mr. Doyle has enjoyed Portland thus far, despite it being “different from everywhere I’ve lived,” he said. 

He first went to Carleton College in Minnesota to study history, then attended graduate school at George Washington University, beginning his counseling journey.

“I found that making connections with students was something I really enjoyed [along with] working with them in different ways,” Mr. Doyle said. “And I was interested in how to do that in a kind of a formal school setting.”

Unsure what to expect from La Salle, Mr. Doyle was “pleasantly surprised with what a welcoming community it has been,” he said.

Furthermore, he enjoys the “interconnectedness” of the community — specifically the mentorship between upper and lower classmen. “I think it’s cool that there’s a desire to make sure that other students feel welcome and then learn from your experience if you’re an older student and pass that knowledge along,” he said.

In the future, Mr. Doyle hopes to facilitate events that further unite students.

Given the current staffing challenges in the counseling department, Mr. Doyle has been presented with some unique difficulties to overcome. With limited time and resources, he wants to ensure that each student’s needs are being met — whether they actively seek him out or not — in ways that are “sustainable for the school year,” he said.

Mr. Doyle plans on staying in the community for the foreseeable future, gradually becoming a familiar face, and he hopes that the “knowledge that I didn’t have at the beginning will be something I can pass on to other people,” he said.