Every Scituate High School student walks into the guidance office at some point. Students typically need course adjustments or college advice, which can be stressful, but when they step into the office, they are greeted by the calm presence of Ms. Jeanne Mullin, the Administrative Assistant in Counseling. There’s only a few people in the building who know a lot about a lot of people, and Mullin is one of them. Nevertheless, students don’t really know much about her–like her interests outside of school or what she does as an administrative assistant.

Mullin has many responsibilities that come with her job–including typing correspondence, mailing, filing, labeling, and updating transcripts. She also verifies alumni status and assists with the extensive college application process. In guidance, all documentation is sent through Mullin.

Mullin might not be a guidance counselor, but her normal day is just as busy. Answering phones and students’ questions, as well as organizing correspondence, Mullin works for five different counselors. She helps approximately 900 students, their parents, and their teachers, so Mullin deals with thousands of people–as well as their complications, frustrations, and situations. Mullin said, “Good, bad, and ugly–it all happens here.”

Occasionally, students who walk into guidance breeze right past Mullin and search for their individual counselor; however, Mullin finds this disrespectful: “Don’t just walk by me,” she commented. Reminding students that the guidance office is a place of business, Mullin said it’s important for students to know she has responsibilities that require her focus and attention.

Politeness is important to Mullin, as she requires students to be respectful when they are in the guidance office. She believes it is important to learn how to address professionals in a business setting. This is an important step in learning proper etiquette for a similar situation that students might encounter outside of school. She added, “If you’re rude, you’re not gonna get very far.”

Mullin has worked in several different Scituate schools. During her career, she spent over 15 years working at the elementary school level: two years at Wampatuck, three and a half years at Cushing, and eleven years at Hatherly. At the high school, she spent three years in special education, and she has been in her current position in the guidance office for three years. With 21 years working for Scituate Public Schools, she said she “knows every inch of this place.”

Mullin loves academics, and she is fascinated by education. She said, “I always wondered how you could look at a little child, and by the end of a school year, they know how to read. It’s amazing to me.”

During her high school and college summers, Mullin worked for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where her first job was washing desks. In 1981, after graduating from Salem State College (now Salem State University) with a degree in business, Mullin worked at MIT in the student housing department. Additionally, she worked in the president’s office within the branch of campus special events. Her responsibilities included organizing conferences, arranging graduation, and scheduling important meetings with people from all over the world. Mullin even arranged the inaugural ball for Paul E. Gray when he became president of MIT. She was so proud of the work she put into the ball that she fashioned her own wedding after the whole event!

When she’s not working at SHS, Mullin can be found in her kitchen. She loves cooking and baking, whether it’s a sweet or savory dish. She has a special place in her heart for old family recipes — but her favorite is a four layer chocolate cake with whipped cream between every layer with “chocolate frosting as thick as fudge.” She enjoys complicated recipes with a lot of ingredients.

Mullin’s favorite pastimes include entertaining and reading. Her favorite book is Under Substances, by Barbara Bradford. Mullin said she “could pick it up any time, anywhere, and read it.” In her free time, Mullin also enjoys visiting museums, as she likes “old fashion everything,” history, and academics. When Mullin was asked what she would wish for if she had three wishes, she replied, “That my children always stay happy and healthy, that I always have the opportunity to go to the beach, and in the end of everything, I will be satisfied that I did the best I could.”

After working with high school students for nearly a decade, Mullin has advice for SHS students. She believes high school is the core of life, and everything you do after you graduate can relate back to your experience at SHS. Your career choices, your friends, how you dress, and your hobbies all seem to originate in high school. According to Mullin, high school is a time of growth: From first dates, to getting your driver’s license, to meeting new friends, high school experiences can influence a person’s entire life.