The Mercury recently sat down with Stephanie Gagnon. She has been the guidance secretary at Bellows Free Academy for two years. She said she helps students make appointments with their counselors and does the work Elaine Archambault, the Head of Guidance, gives to her. 

Do you have any immediate family members? If so, who?

Honestly, I have a dog.

What did you do after high school?

I worked at VSAC [Vermont Student Assistance Corporation] for 24 years as the librarian of the Career and College Planning Library, which housed a wide variety of books, software and digital media, to support students from middle school to college. I was nominated to be on the board of the Vermont Library Association for three years. I also met with students, individually and in group settings, from middle school to adulthood for career and college planning. I was also the Curriculum Coordinator, which included being the PLP [Personalized Learning Plan] point person, which also included traveling all over the state of Vermont working with teachers, counselors, principals and superintendents to implement PLPs utilizing Naviance Career and College Planning Software.

Were you nervous on your first day of working at BFA? How did you overcome that anxiety if you were?

I really wasn’t nervous because I’m used to it. Part of my job at VSAC was dealing with a lot of people, so I always was interacting and me[eting] new people. So I am very accustomed to dealing with new people all the time. 

What are your responsibilities in this job?

I greet students when they come in. I am Mrs. Archambault’s secretary. So whatever she needs me to do, I do. I do a lot with AP exams, special projects, those kinds of things.

How are you liking it so far?

I really like it. I like the people…I like the energy. I’m very fortunate because I have an autonomous work situation, so I can work on projects, and Mrs. Archambault is awesome to work for. So she allows me to do my work how I feel I need to get it done, but she’s also so supportive.

What is something that you will never forget about BFA?

I will never forget the lovely people that I work with. They have been awesome and have been welcoming…[The] people that I work with now are so nice…I look forward to coming to work every day.