About

Hi! I am Karen R. Vinklarek-Gresham. I am originally from Angleton, Texas, and lived in the Angleton/Lake Jackson area for most of my life I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Speech/Organizational Communication from The University of Texas at Austin, my Texas Teacher’s Certificate from The University of St. Thomas in Houston, and my Master of Science degree in Counseling from The University of Houston at Clear Lake. I have had a diverse journey and my skills built throughout my lifespan, aid in me helping to connect and see a more holistic and global framework. I started out in radio...selling ads, writing copy, and doing voice-overs. From there, I followed in my father’s footsteps, working in tort law and claims. In my late ’20s, I went back to school to become a teacher and, at the same time, I helped launch a regional rock band, which I was the lead singer of for 14 years. I had an interesting combination of playing professional music on the weekends and teaching by day. I taught for 12 years: Pre-K, Elementary Music, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th grades. It was while teaching 8th grade, where I finally found my place in this world. I realized that my favorite part of teaching was building positive relationships with others. I loved sharing my life and using my experiences to inspire others to become the best that they could be. Fellow teachers saw my passion for helping others; therefore, I was recommended by my fellow colleagues to go back to school to become a counselor. So, at the ripe old age of 40, I went back to grad school. While in grad school, I acquired enough hours to become a school counselor, while still studying to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. I have served as a school counselor and lead counselor for 10 years at the elementary and middle school levels. I was proactively involved in crisis situations and was on the drug and alcohol intervention team.