Larrie Bell, M.Ed.

Throughout her 29 years in education, Larrie has worked with students from diverse backgrounds and with a wide range of academic abilities, interests, and goals—first at Austin Community College in the financial aid department, then as a high school teacher and for the last 19 years as a high school counselor.

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One of the most rewarding aspects of her work has been partnering with students and their families as they navigate the journey toward college and career. As her high school's college and career counselor, she works with students from the moment they enter high school, helping them understand how the decisions they make each year can shape their future opportunities. This begins with developing a thoughtful four-year plan and selecting courses that align with each student's strengths, interests, and goals, and continues through the college search and application process.

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For the past 12 years, Larrie has also served as one of our district's Summer Melt counselors. In this role, she supports graduating seniors after high school graduation as they work to turn their college plans into reality. This experience has given her an even deeper understanding of the many barriers students can encounter between being accepted to college and actually enrolling.

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Over the years, Larrie has conducted countless college-planning presentations for students and families and has worked individually with hundreds of students. Whether helping a student understand the college application process, developing and refining an essay, navigating financial aid, or simply making sense of the many decisions involved in choosing a college, her goal is always to make the process understandable and accessible.

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She especially values the partnership that develops between a student, their family, and their counselor. Every student has a different story, and Larrie believes the college process should begin with understanding the individual student; their experiences, strengths, interests, aspirations, and areas for growth, and then helping them identify opportunities where they can thrive. After nearly three decades in education, she remains grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside students during such an important and transformative time in their lives.

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As the parent of a recent Texas A&M graduate, Larrie has the unique perspective of seeing the challenges and successes from both the counselor and parent’s lens. 

 

• Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics – The University of Texas at Austin

• Master of Education in Educational Psychology – The University of Texas at Austin

• Business Foundation Certificate- The University of Texas at Austin

• Texas Educator Certificate, School Counselor, State Board for Educator Certification

• Texas Teacher Certification

 

 

Personal

Larrie's husband makes fun of her because you can always find her in one of three places: she's either working, in the gym, or by his side cheering on one of our beloved Texas Longhorn teams. As a dance fitness instructor, she teaches multiple classes during the week including Zumba and Line Dance. When she's not teaching a class, Larrie is taking a class.