Jolene Yang

Jolene Yang, School Counselor

My school counseling career started in Wausau, WI at the elementary level in 1998.  After 7 years, we moved to Minnesota, and I joined St Paul Public Schools in 2006.  I have been OWL's school counselor since 2013.

In the year of 1976 when I was only 3 years old, my family and I immigrated to the United States from Laos during the Vietnam War, also known as the Secret War. We were sponsored by a wonderful family in Wilmette, Illinois where we lived until 1981 and then later settled in Wisconsin where the majority of my family lives now. At the time, it was only my parents, my younger brother, and me trying to navigate this new world. A positive influence I had growing up was my elementary ELL teacher. She went above and beyond to support my learning and was intentional about letting our families know about school events as well as helped us get ready for those events.  She and her husband took us to baseball games, treated us to food we never tried before.

My years of adolescence were a learning experience, and I became the oldest of 11 children. Oftentimes, my social life was out on hold as I helped raise my siblings. As the oldest, I grew up more traditional than my siblings.  I worked several retail jobs during high school and college. My parents taught me that hard work, patience, and discipline is what leads to success no matter the hardships in front of us.  

I graduated from Wausau West High School in 1992. From there, I was accepted into the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point where I graduated with a Bachelor in Communications in 1996. It was at that point in time that I found my passion in life, school counseling. In 1998, I earned my Masters in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

I met my husband in 1991 and we have been together ever since. We have three beautiful children. My mother-in-law has been a great support in raising our family over the years as well. We enjoy traveling, archery, camping, and fishing. In my limited free time I enjoy reading, watching Korean- Chinese dramas, shopping, playing the keyboard with my music group, and spending quality time with my family.