As the Tualatin High School (TuHS) community entered the 2024-2025 school year, four new counselors came along with us. Students are quickly getting acquainted with Daisy Santana, Alpha: GR – Li; Audrey Zarrinkhat, Alpha: LO – N; Sada Dewey, Alpha: O – SC, and Meagan McBride, Alpha: SE – Z. The Wolf caught up with them to help break down the walls and introduce them to the community.
Where were you before coming to TuHS, and what were you doing?
Dewey: Lincoln High School, Portland Public Schools, in downtown PDX.
McBride: Before I was lucky enough to land at Tualatin HS, I worked at Oregon City High School since 2017, and then took last year off to spend time with my new baby, who was born in July 2023! It was so precious and special to stay home with my new daughter, but I was ready to transition back to work.
Zarrinkhat: I recently moved from California, where I was a high school counselor in the Bay Area for several years.
Santana: Before coming to Tualatin High School, I was wrapping up my master’s in school counseling and working with a nonprofit in Woodburn, supporting high school Latine, Indigenous and farmworker youth to finish high school and pursue further education.
Why did you decide to come to TuHS?
Dewey: I live in Tualatin and wanted to work for my community!
McBride: Tualatin has an amazing reputation for having many resources to support students and equity initiatives, which is very important to me as a school counselor. I had also been at my previous school for quite awhile and I was ready for a change.
Zarrinkhat: TTSD’s commitment to equity work & racial justice in education was one of the primary reasons why I applied to work here.
Santana: Last year, I interned at Tualatin High School, and I’m proud to say I’m also a TuHS graduate. This place feels like home to me, and I really see myself in the students I work with. I get to support young people just like my teachers and school counselor did for me, and I love it!
Are there any facts about you that you would like the TuHS community to know?
Dewey: “I am from the Central Valley in California.”
McBride: “When I’m not at school, I love to hike, run and eat my way through Portland’s amazing food scene!”
Zarrinkhat: “Nah, I’m pretty boring.”
Santana: “I grew up in a small town in Jalisco, Mexico, and moved to Tualatin when I was 13. I’m the middle child of seven siblings. I also have a fur baby, a mini Aussie named Rio—he’s a little wild, but I love him! I’m passionate about education and making mental health resources accessible to everyone.”
As the year carries on, we are eager to learn even more about our counselors.
