Yes, a Bumble Bee CAN Fly: At Risk Students Achieving

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Brayan Bunyi Mr.Follow

First Presenter's Institution

Tennessee Rutherfod County Education-La Vergne Middle School

First Presenter’s Email Address

bunyib@rcschools.net

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Brayan Bunyi has served children and families for 25 years in the state of Tennessee. He has worked close to a decade with children in foster care. Currently he is in his 15th year as a school counselor at a Title 1 middle school on the outskirt of Nashville. He brings a unique experience as an individual who migrated from a developing country into a small community near the Smoky Mountains. As the oldest of six children with socioeconomic challenges, language barrier and hearing disability, Brayan Bunyi was able to attain academic, professional and personal success despite being an “at risk student”. His purpose for presenting today is to share the keys that has helped him and other youths he has worked with develop into thriving individuals in our complex society.

Submitter

I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)

Location

Sloane

Strand #1

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

The proposal’s content is in line with addressing the ‘Head’ and ‘Heart’ of the 5H strands. The presentation touches on closing the academic and achievement gap of students with English language learners and students with disability. Also, the presentation addresses the different social and emotional issues that that are faced by minorities, immigrant students and students with disabilities.

Brief Program Description

The presenter will touch on examples of different counseling theories that can be used in a school setting such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Choice Theory which can help students understand their challenges and overcome them. In addition, the presenter will reflect on personal experiences which used characteristics of these theories that allowed him to be successful in his life.

Summary

In addition to his childhood backstory, the presenter will begin with highlighting 5 basic needs of children according to William Glasser’s Choice Theory. Most of the presentation will be through PowerPoint and group discussion. The presenter will share childhood experiences which will emphasize how these different basic needs motivated different behaviors and presented different challenges for a student new to a country and dealing with a disability. The presenter will engage the attendees by having them participate in discussions on having them reflect on challenges in their own life and what support they had that allowed them to overcome them. There will be group discussions on what resources or connections they have in their place of work that allows youth to have a sense of belonging and empowerment. The presenter will also share information on his experience working with youths and students using different strategies based on Cognitive Behavior Therapy. He will share the importance of establishing connection with students, working with the student on the here-and-now, all the while helping the student recognize the difference in the way action, feelings and thinking play significant roles in every day experiences. The presenter will role-play with a volunteer attendee how to work with a student as oppose to working against a student when it comes to moments of possible conflict and defiance. Also, the presenter will illustrate how thinking, doing and feeling all relate so that youths can better navigate acute crisis in school or out in their community. Overall, the presenter will endeavor to provide practical strategies rooted in proven theories so that they can work with students with the understanding that even ‘at risk’ students can achieve high expectations.

Evidence

In the 1960s, Aaron Beck developed cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or cognitive therapy. Since then, it has been extensively researched and found to be effective in a large number of outcome studies for psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Choice Theory introduced in 1965 is the work of William Glasser, MD, author of the book so named, and is the culmination of some 50 years of theory and practice in counseling and psychology. Both approaches are still being used today to help multitude of individuals from different backgrounds.

Learning Objective 1

Attendees will understand 5 basic needs of young people through Dr. Glasser’s Choice Theory.

Learning Objective 2

Attendees will learn strategies based on Cognitive Behavior Therapy to help students experiencing acute crisis.

Learning Objective 3

Attendees will learn additional ways to help immigrant students and students with disability have high achievement.

Keyword Descriptors

Middle School Counseling, CBT, Choice Theory, At Risk Students, ELL

Presentation Year

2025

Start Date

3-4-2025 8:30 AM

Recommended Citation

Bunyi, Brayan Mr., "Yes, a Bumble Bee CAN Fly: At Risk Students Achieving" (2025). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 30.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2025/2025/30