By: Safa Ansari — Correspondent

Ms. Keeney, well-respected school counselor at Sharon High, resigned at the end of last year.  After the long process of sorting through the applicants and conducting interviews, Ms. Andrea Fugazot got the position. 

Fugazot says she loves how vibrant Sharon is and how valuable it is not only to academics but also to individuals who are engaged. She became a counselor when she discovered that she enjoyed the one-to-one talks in her first year in the classroom as an AmeriCorps service. Fugazot says she loves going “behind the curtain” to hear what is happening in the life of a student. 

Fugazot says she was impressed with the workers at SHS straight away. Fugazot says she has served in many districts with wonderful faculty, but the amount of dedication our teachers display is unmatched. Fugazot says the staff is knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and drives Sharon’s students to be better scholars and individuals. She says she is working on reaching all of the students in her caseload, but that is the best part for her. “I love how unique every student is and learning about who they are,” said Fugazot.

Students at SHS are very fond of Fugazot. Sophomore Malika Angaian says she is “super sweet and really engaging.” Angaian says she is very responsive and considerate, and she also helped her adjust her schedule with ease. 

Sophomore Eva Bihler agrees with Angaian and says she is very friendly. The staff seems to be happy with Fugazot also. “I’ve loved working with Ms. Fugazot.  She is friendly and proactive and seems to have seamlessly joined our staff, already making great contributions and connections with staff and students,” says Vice Principal Ms. Elizabeth Gavin.

Fugazot is from New York, attended grad school in Boston, and has worked in New Jersey. Fugazot is proud of her Italian and Uruguayan heritage. Her father is the only one in his family to have fled his country after the tyranny. As for her mom, she was the first person in her family to have been born in the United States of America. Fugazot has a younger brother living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a niece that she adores very much; in fact, for her, one of the pandemic’s toughest aspects is that “I haven’t been able to see her often,” Fugazot said. 

Fugazot says she loves outdoor activities such as running and hiking, but also enjoys baking, reading, and binge watching television. She enjoys traveling and exploring new places so much that she has made it an enormous part of her life. 

Every summer, Fugazot visits at least one new country, “I just love seeing new places and experiencing other cultures..and trying the food! But I’ve been missing that during the pandemic!” said Fugazot. She says she has been “touring her backyard” as an alternative to traveling. 

Fugazot enjoys sharing quality time with her family and friends. For her, social interactions are very essential. Any time she can spend with individuals she cares for, she enjoys. It’s always great if she can take people with her to explore new destinations, but she’s also satisfied to just stick inside. 

Fugazot says she also enjoys time alone. She still wants time to just breathe and unwind. Another fun fact about Fugazot is that she has a weakness for corny jokes: “What did one strawberry say to the other? If you weren’t so fresh, we wouldn’t be in this jam!”