A Few Words
About Jose Ireta

Jose Ireta was born and raised in California and retired from public education in
2021. He holds a bachelors degree in Speech Communication from the California
State University system and holds two masters degrees, one in Counseling and
one in Educational Administration, both were earned from the Graduate School
of Education at California Lutheran University, where he was named Outstanding
Graduate Student in Councillor & Guidance in 2002.

His career in education began in 1998 with at-risk youth to help them with their
post-secondary endeavors. To this date, he is still in contact with former
students who were awarded scholarships from the Bill Gates Millennium
Scholars Program to attend schools such as UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley and
Stanford. These students, who are close to his heart, were all first-generation
college students. Some of these students now work at Amgen Biotech, Cal State
Channel Islands, Ventura County Behavioral Health, and other reputable
institutions and businesses. Sadly in 2002, the grant that funded the program
was not renewed. This led him to seek employment with a neighboring district
where he worked from 2002 to 2021. From 2009 to 2021, he worked at a high performing International Baccalaureate High School.

Mr. Ireta began to work as a private college counselor in 2017 in addition to his
work at the high school. This work, juxtaposed with his work at a comprehensive
high school, made him realize how much his role as a counselor had changed and
renewed his passion to work with students on a one-on-one basis to help them
realize their goals, define their strengths and weaknesses, and help them with
their college applications (essay editing, developing essay topics, choosing a
major, etc.).

Mr. Ireta adheres to Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. He
encourages students to start with the big picture, their end goal, and then chart a
path on how to get there in the distant future. This is one of his reasons for
retiring early from public education, to do what he loves and why he pursued a
career in education in the first place. His multiple positions have allowed him to
work with a diverse student-body (various cultures, socio-economic levels,
academic standing, etc.). It is his goal to guide all students in achieving their
goals regardless of their background and academic abilities.