Welcome, Jesse Struck!

After a four-year hiatus, Eastern Christian School is excited to re-welcome Mr. Jesse Struck back to the school community as Director of Academic and College Counseling.

Mr. Struck holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Duquesne University and earned a master’s degree in School Counseling from Gwynedd-Mercy University. Having spent six years at Eastern Christian from 2012-2018, he quickly earned a reputation for building strong student relationships and for his passion of guiding students to discern and follow the Lord’s leading in their academic and professional pursuits. He has additionally held counseling positions at The Stony Brook School and most recently, Mahwah High School.

Please tell us about yourself
I grew up in Philadelphia, attended college in Pittsburgh, and moved to New Jersey in 2012 shortly after getting married. My interests include traveling, collecting vinyl records, and Liverpool Football Club.

How did God bring you to work at EC?
I have been fortunate to hold a variety of counseling roles in several schools. Each experience has been rewarding and formative, but no other place has fit or felt quite like EC. The strong sense of community, rich history, commitment to academic excellence and authentic faith integration, and our ambitious vision for the future, make EC a truly exciting place to be at this moment in time. I am blessed to rejoin such a special place and team of talented, faithful educators!

Professionally, what are you excited about this year?
I’m excited to work with Stephanie Lim, Associate Director of Academic and Career Counseling. Together, we are solely focused on students’ academic progression throughout high school and post-secondary transition. We have been given the opportunity to build a unique program that strikes an advantageous balance between providing excellent resources and ensuring individualized attention.

Specifically this year, we are excited to revamp an array of evening programs for parents, including a workshop on financial planning for college. We are also planning to bring back college road trips, college application workshops, college representative visits, and to strategically utilize SOAR for college research, essay writing, and application help. These resources will complement frequent one-on-one touchpoints with students throughout the year. Our goal and expectation is that students will feel supported as they make academic decisions and well-equipped to navigate their college process and postsecondary transition.