Ian Trombulak
School Counselor
Lamoille Union High School, Vt. 

I Am ASCA

Why are you an ASCA member? It’s important to me to be part of a larger community of school counselors who see, validate and support one another in this incredibly challenging job. 

What inspires you about being a school counselor? Seeing how resilient kids can be, and how funny and goofy they can be even in the throes of adolescence. 

What’s a weird fact you know? Orange the fruit pre-dates orange the color. Before we were introduced to the fruit, that color was referred to as “yellowred.” Once we saw oranges, the name of the fruit took over as the name of the color.

What words do you live by? Hard things are hard, and we can do hard things. 

What would you be doing if you weren’t a school counselor? An investigative journalist, a sports broadcaster or the on-site therapist for a reality TV show

When and why did you know you wanted to be a school counselor? Working in a group home right after college, I found a passion for working with teenagers and helping them sort through all the challenges of those years. After a few years in residential treatment, I pursued my master’s and made the move to schools in the hopes of expanding my impact and reaching kids before they get to residential treatment. 

What brings you joy? Laughter – that seems obvious, but laughing is a really important part of my life. If I can make you laugh, and you can make me laugh, and we can laugh together, then we can heal from anything. 

What do you do to decompress/eliminate stress/refuel for the next day? I do stand-up comedy locally, and that is a fantastic way to process stress and refill my cup. In the summer, I see as much live music as I can, and in the fall, I play co-ed softball to stay active and social. At home, I love getting lost in a video game, building a new LEGO set, or going for a walk with my dog. 

How would you describe your job to a 5 year old? When you get older and you’re trying to figure out who you are and who you want to become, I will be there for you. 

You have your own late-night talk show – who would you invite as your first guest? The four members of Phish, my favorite band. It would be a thrill to ask them about 40 years of band history, and it would be really special just to have an opportunity to thank them for all they’ve given me.