Mr. Balducci is a very well-known guidance counselor at Cardozo High School whose warm and approachable personality makes students feel heard and supported.
Everyone looks forward to speaking with Mr. Balducci, whether it’s about school or personal matters because he creates a safe space for any conversation. In high school, it can be hard for students to find someone to trust, but Mr. Balducci makes it easy for everyone he comes across.
Although he’s a great guidance counselor to many, Mr. Balducci didn’t start off in guidance. In fact, he started off as a chemistry teacher, as he was told that he should pursue it as a career when he was in college.
During Covid, things hit New York super hard. With this wave of depression, a lot of students gravitated towards him for comfort in those dark times.
However, as a teacher, when a student comes to you with any sort of issue, it is their job to report it back to a guidance counselor. He then realized that if students felt comfortable coming to him about their feelings and hardships, why not be that person full-time time leading him to become a guidance counselor? And, that is how he ended up in the guidance chair.
Although he is a patient and understanding counselor, kids in high school rarely have an adult who’s there to mentor and guide them through times when they need it. It makes it hard for them to see what they are truly capable of.
“The thing that makes me the most sad is there are some people out there who go to work, pay their bills but no one really told them you know what you would be great if you were to enter a specific field that fits your character the most,” Mr. Balducci said.
It’s not every day that people can explore and navigate what they are good at and what they can accomplish. Having Mr. Balducci as a counselor helps students to see their full potential.
One piece of advice that Mr. Balducci has for students is to find someone to work with that has done their job right — who is not competing with you but wants to pass the torch over to you. He said it’s the best thing you can possibly do. Learn from others so they can help lead the way.
“Ms.DeAngelo has become my guidance mentor,” he explained. “And when I was a teacher I found one of the old Chemistry and I would watch her during my lunch period.”
It goes to show students that Mr. Balducci, while a staff member at Cardozo, is always open to learning and growing just like all of us. And, he has filled that mentor role for so many kids here at Cardozo — and, we couldn’t be more grateful for that.
