Teacher Feature: Mr. Justin Genovese '04
Always smiling and always available to talk, guidance counselor Mr. Genovese '04 is a fan favorite.
Mr. Justin Genovese ’04, this issue’s teacher feature, is the guidance counselor for the Class of 2024. Additionally, he helps run the Student Council and the Sports Analysis Club.
Q: What made you want to become a guidance counselor?
A: I wasn’t really considering it until I heard of the job opening at Jesuit while I was doing a double-masters program at Loyola. Before then, I had discerned priesthood, and, although I decided it wasn’t for me, I liked studying theology. The course at Loyola was recommended to me. I liked talking and I liked talking about faith and spirituality, so it seemed like something I should do. I had no clue what I wanted to do after I graduated. Maybe I could have worked at an agency as a therapist, but I had some worries about that, because it’s, like, 30 clients a week, and I thought that would require a lot of patience. Then in my last days in the program one of my professors recommended the job opening at Jesuit to my friend who’d been specializing in school counseling, and he told me. I thought of it as a joke at first, but I thought about it more throughout the day, I asked my parents and my fiancée about it, and they said it was perfect for me, because I can put both of my degrees at work here.
Q: What is your favorite part of being a guidance counselor at Jesuit?
A: Getting to know and to talk to y’all about faith and spirituality. Again, I’d had worries with agency work, and at Jesuit I have 300 clients, and I just like to get to know all of you. There’s just enough school stuff to keep me occupied. I’m glad student council isn’t full time, even if it does feel like that at times.
Q: How involved are you with the school outside of guidance?
A: Student Council Moderator mostly. I work with the executive board on pretty much a daily basis. First Quarter is just so jammed, especially for Student Council. Of course, I can’t forget the Sports Analysis Club, which I co-moderate with Mrs. Joan.
“My favorite part of working at Jesuit is getting to know so many of y’all .”
Q: What is your favorite aspect of Jesuit?
A: I think I appreciate this more now as a faculty member than as a student, but I appreciate the emphasis on faith at the school. Particularly Kairos retreats, because I’ve gone on some before. I think they’d just introduced them when I was still here. They let me get to know you guys on a deeper level. I also like the faculty retreats; it’s something I’m glad we do here.
Q: Do you have any memory in particular from Jesuit that you remember fondly?
A: Over the summer, Jesuit sent Coach Hatty and me to Europe to follow in the footsteps of St. Ignatius. The group with us from Boston College was great. It was a big honor to be chosen to go off and get a more global and historical impression on what we do here. Honestly, I could list several stories from that week with Coach Hatty in Europe.
Q: What would you change or improve about the school?
A: I think a personal mission of mine is to understand the importance of talking things out. We need to get better at externalizing the stress and anxieties we go through on a daily basis; but a lot of high school students (and adults) have a resistance to talking about these things. If we’re talking about culture, y’all criticize one another and take shots at each other a lot. I often hear how there’s a fear of being judged by others, preventing people from sharing these things. What we hide from others has a heavy impact on our ability to understand ourselves. That’s alot of what we do here in the Guidance department.