Meet Paul Singleton
Looking to add a fourth member to our K-12 Counseling Team, Potomac hired Paul Singleton II in fall 2021. Before joining the school, Paul was at the University of Connecticut, pursuing his doctorate in psychology and running SCHOLAR house, a program to increase graduation rates among Black men attending the university. In less than a year at Potomac, Paul has built strong relationships. He's easy to talk to thanks to his calm, friendly demeanor, and his unwavering optimism and knowledgeable perspectives on adolescent development are valuable assets for the Counseling Team.
Thank you for taking time to share your story with us, Paul. Can you start with your background and how you found your way to Potomac?
I was born in Philadelphia, and was raised and grew up in the suburbs right outside of a town called Willow Grove/Crestmont. I was raised as an only child although I have two siblings who are 19 and 23 years older than I. Willow Grove/Crestmont was a mixed community; however, where I lived was predominantly Black. I don't believe there were any white families living in my neighborhood. However, the neighborhood high school that I attended, Abington Senior High School, was predominantly white. I knew from an early age what it meant to be Black and how to navigate the world as a Black man.
While at the University of Connecticut pursuing advanced degrees over the past seven years, my journey has been circuitous. It has carried me through many schools and multiple states, presenting opportunities to work with students at many levels, from third grade to college. My educational compass has guided me to discover methods to improve my craft as a school counselor and the role that research plays toward that end. Collaboration with my fellow pre-service counselors and counseling educators such as Dr. Erik Hines and Dr. Robert Colbert helped me see the need to use research to improve the classroom while also leading other stakeholders toward advocating for equitable (rather than equal) resources for students. I found my way to Potomac through a job posting on the National Association of Independent Schools career site. This position combines my passion for counseling with my dedication to DEI work. I believe that who I am and the experiences I have had will add to Potomac’s diversity and the depth of this community's learning and growth.
Can you tell us more about the intersection of your counseling and DEI work? How does this intersection help you in your work with students and colleagues?
As a culturally competent counselor, I incorporate DEI work in my daily counseling efforts. My intent is to support and cultivate the next generation of leaders, champions, and advocates here at Potomac. This commitment to cultivating excellence in our students is achieved by using a lens that considers equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism as core values that are applied in their daily practice (school, athletics, social groups, etc).
My training has conditioned me to focus on improving diversity and inclusion within the counseling profession. In this profession there is a movement toward a new guiding philosophy with goals, policies, and practices that are shaped by a central commitment: to provide learning experiences that allow each graduate to become a fully functioning professional in an evolving and diverse world. I have had a wide range of experiences in counseling, mentoring youth from both affluent and underserved communities and working with both students who are successful in the classroom to those on academic probation. These experiences inform my work here at Potomac by helping me make sure that everyone -- students and colleagues alike --is heard, seen, and considered. My goals are to support each person's growth, prepare them to work with individuals with marginalized identities, and encourage them to help end oppression in whatever capacity they can within their fields and the larger society.
What motivated you to pursue your PhD, and what are you learning through the process?
In May of 2017, I completed my Master of Arts in School Counseling from the University of Connecticut. My professors at UConn educated me on how to be a culturally competent counselor educator; how to research, design, and implement culturally relevant school counseling programs in K–12 settings; and how to develop my skills in advocating for all students, leaders, and champions within a school. My experience and training gave me the foundation to pursue a doctoral degree in counselor education with a concentration in social justice and educational equity. My experience in graduate school reinforced my desire to help bridge the gap between resources and achievement. Readings such as Acceptance, by David L. Marcus (2009), helped fuel this interest by providing examples of a counselor working toward closing the resource and achievement gap within his school. My interactions during this time, both with other pre-service counselors and my mentors, reinforced my belief that a greater understanding of counseling is required before adequate gains in students' retention, opportunity, and achievement can be met.
As my graduate advisor Dr. Hines would say, "It’s easy to shake hands, talk to people, and mentor people, but are you willing to put in the real work?” I was ready and more than willing to put in the real work -- to not only ask those tough questions but also try to find the answers. I was ready to articulate my opinions based on both personal accounts and scholastic sources, analyze different aspects of counseling education through the most appropriate lens, and recognize what information counseling education is missing and how I can conduct valuable research to obtain that knowledge.
My core values, Habits of Learning (shout out to the IS), and my academic values/vision align seamlessly with the research I am conducting for my PhD in Counseling Education with a concentration in social justice and educational equity. My goal is to complete my doctorate this summer so that I can teach future counselors, continue to conduct research within school settings, and make positive contributions to the mental health, school counseling, and education fields.
You were recently published in several counseling publications. What is it like being a published author? Was that process interesting? What did you learn about publishing that surprised you?
It is a surreal feeling. I was brought in on various writing projects four years ago when I started my PhD program. I didn’t know where I wanted to go with my career as an author, but I knew I wanted to do something that would have a real-world impact. As I thought about it, I realized that I could link my passions for counseling and bridging the achievement gap with my research around Black/African American males. Luckily, once you start writing, the process is not as hard as one would think, especially when you’re a co-author. Once I finished, reviewed, and revised my section or chapter, I sent it off to the first author and the editor. After they went through everything, they submitted it, and we waited for approval. I currently have two book chapters and four journal articles published, with two more book chapters I’m working on currently. What I’ve learned is that you must be passionate about your idea to get past the stumbling blocks. Passion gives you stamina. It’s important to be with people you like and trust. Typically, my co-authors on papers I’m working on are my best friends and my mentor/advisor from my PhD program at UConn. It’s not an accident. We spend so much time thinking about our work together that my colleagues have become my friends.
Can you tell us about an important mentor in your life? How has that person shaped who you are today?
I believe a good mentor is also a good motivator. Typically, people's mentoring philosophy should be based on personal motivations that have guided their life as a student and an educator. At the practical level, mentoring to me involves being a good teacher while striving to nurture students wherever they may be. My mentor, Dr. Hines, embodies that notion. Dr. Hines began our mentoring relationship by being a good listener and guiding not only my thoughts about various research projects but also my personal life and how to truly embrace this new version of Paul. One of my more embarrassing but fond memories of Dr. Hines' mentorship includes my first trip to his office. I went in focused and hungry to work in schools and specifically with Black males. On one of my first days as a graduate student, I ran into his office and with conviction I said, “I want to work with Black men." He responded, “Do you see any Black men in here?” We both laughed, but his message resonated with me.
Dr. Hines engaged me through conversations about the scope of my ideas in light of how they might improve individual and social well-being. He nurtured my self-belief by providing me with skills, co-authoring opportunities, and encouragement, and by highlighting my accomplishments. In my 7+ years of having Dr. Hines as a mentor, I have found that his type of mentoring is a process that builds on strengths, openness, and kindness rather than working to "fix" a student's deficits. By motivating and inviting me to think as a practitioner, he fueled my passion to contribute to my field, community, and research.
Dr. Hines has always believed in me! He has been, and probably will always be, my biggest critic, but he is equally one of my biggest champions. I'm forever grateful to him!
As a fun final question, what is something we may not know about you that you would be willing to share with us?
I love cartoons, animated films/shows, and everything superhero! Earlier this year during an assembly hosted by the student club Many Voices, One Community (MVOC), where I was a panelist, I shared my love of animé, and pretty much all of the follow-up questions from students were about that. I was surprised and excited that there was so much excitement around animé. As a new adult on campus, I had discovered a great entry point for conversations with students!