Angela Cleveland Named Counselor of the County

Hillsborough, NJ -- Angela Cleveland has been named as the 2015-2016 Counselor of the County for Somerset County.

The New Jersey School Counselor Association (NJSCA) honored school counselors from the different counties within the State of New Jersey at the annual “Counselor of the County” Awards Program held at New Jersey City University on May 20.

School counselors are nominated by their colleagues and are selected by their own county’s School Counselor Associations for this award.

"Mrs. Cleveland is driven by a desire to help students and to make our world a better place," Valerie Newman, a school nurse in Hillsborough who nominated Cleveland. "She is an excellent role model who contributes to the community and encourages others to do the same. Regardless of our role in her life, we all see her spirit in her name. Angela is an angel and loving helper to us all."

Cleveland, an Auten Road Intermediate School's School Counselor, has been a professional school counselor since 2001 and anti-bullying specialist since 2011.

“I was surprised and incredibly humbled,” Cleveland said. “It’s an amazing honor. I didn’t expect it.”

Born and raised in New Jersey, Cleveland had always wanted to sit down with children and talk to them.

“As a child of the 90s, I always wanted to be a librarian,” Cleveland said.

She had envisioned sitting around and talking with students about their lives and how it related to books.

In college, Cleveland’s career path shifted to becoming a counselor.

“What I am doing now is exactly what I envisioned,” Cleveland said. “Sitting in groups, talking of challenges, peer pressure, making new friends… these were all of things I envisioned doing in high school as a librarian. It’s kind of ironic.”

Cleveland began her career on Sept. 11, 2001 as a school counselor in Philadelphia.

“That day solidified for me what I was doing was important,” Cleveland said. “Seeing students show nervousness and see what the country was going through… One of the big parts of my job is being able to step in when there is a crisis. Such as a death of a student or Hurricane Sandy. Having a calm mind and being solution focused. That set a tone that I was doing more than just sitting with students and talking.”

After Philadelphia, Cleveland went to work in Whippany before moving to Hillsborough for love. She married her husband, Scott who lived in town.

“Hillsborough is a great school,” Cleveland said. “The kids are so diverse. Some are growing up on farms.”

(Photo provided: Pictured from left - Tim Conway (President of the NJSCA), Angela Cleveland, Valerie Newman (school nurse who nominated Cleveland).