We talk to Matthew about how he got involved with his state school counselors association and the different ways that getting involved can impact us, the schools we serve, and the states where we live. He also talks about the importance of building connections, especially being in the role of school counselor.   Matthew McClain has been a school counselor in rural Northeast Colorado since 2005. He spent 10 years counseling at the 5th and 6th grade level, then spent 6 years at the high school level, and is currently at the elementary level (grades 1-5). Prior to school counseling, he was a reporting analyst and worked in the telecommunications field. He has also been the Executive Director for the Colorado School Counselor Association (CSCA) since November of 2017. He and his wife of 24 years have 3 beautiful children. Matthew has been involved with the American School Counselor Association(ASCA) and CSCA since 2008 serving on various committees and roles including CSCA conference chair, CSCA Elementary VP, CSCA President, CSCA Public Relations Chair, ASCA conference selection committee, and ASCA State Bylaw Review committee chair. He has presented on various topics including getting involved in state school counselor associations, how to be situationally aware both personally and professionally,  how to be a leader, and leading social emotional groups. He is passionate about relationships, connections, school counselors, leadership,  and clinical school counselor supervision.