Mr. Tahapary
Mr. Tahapary started at Westview and has served at Mt. Carmel High School, Del Norte High School, and Mesa Verde Middle School as school counselor. He is currently in his eighth year at Oak Valley Middle School. Prior to his time with Poway Unified School District, Mr. Tahapary worked in higher education as admissions counselor and assistant director of high school relations & outreach for a private and public state university in San Diego. He has also served as founding director of a TRiO: Upward Bound Program, which is a federally-funded student-support services program designed to provide college readiness access to low-income & first-generation college bound high school students for a private faith-based university in San Diego. Mr. Tahapary has served as co-director, consultant, trainer, and board member to a number of community-based organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, Social Advocates for Youth – San Diego, National Conference for Community & Justice, and Linda Vista Collaborative. In addition to having the privilege and honor to serve as school counselor for Oak Valley MS, Mr. Tahapary continues to utilize his knowledge of college readiness access by serving as an external reader for the University of California, San Diego and private college consultant to high school seniors who need support with college essays and admissions.
Mr. Tahapary’s background is diverse in that he was born in Saigon, Vietnam from parents who came from the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies (aka: the Spice Islands). He is a Dutch and American citizen who grew up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He attended Saudi Arabian International School from the 3rd to 9th grade. From 10th thru 12th grade, he attended Maur Hill Prep School, an all-boys college-prepatory Catholic boarding school in Atchison, Kansas. Mr. Tahapary received his B.A. in International Relations/Pre-Law and M.Ed. in Counseling with PPS from the University of San Diego.
One of Mr. Tahapary’s favorite quotes he learned from his USD Rugby Coach is:
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,
do it with thy might…
Each and every day, Mr. Tahapary does his best and gives all that he has to support kids and their families. He feels he has; “…the best job in the world” and “…is blessed & grateful every day!” Mahalo and Aloha!!