BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Now that school is back in session, there's one counselor who knows all too well how important it is to support students' mental health. Yamica Carmouche is a dedicated counselor at the Eva Legard Center for Coastal and Environmental Studies. She says she is living the dream every day. "I love teaching. Teaching has been something that I have always dreamed of," Carmouche explained. "I walk around and do daily self-checks, so I go in the classrooms and say 'good morning.'" When she is done checking in, her students often visit her. She said kids need someone to talk to. She also keeps a jar of peppermints on hand, along with bandages and the willingness to give out hugs. "It's very important to build that rapport because if you build that rapport, they trust you," she said. Carmouche has an open-door policy for students and teachers. Standout Students: Baton Rouge twins go viral on social media with singing talent "She even inspires me to, you know, become more organized and just follow in her footsteps, you know, and be not only a leader for these teachers but for our students as well," said literacy coach Dennis Johnson. When she's not giving advice, Carmouche is outside directing traffic, bright and early. "Normally, I'm on carpool duty every morning. So I get the opportunity to meet and greet my students and to check out and to see, you know, any emotional needs." If a student is having a bad day, she offers a listening ear, a big heart and a love for children. "We have to give them grace because we can't forget we were their age too," she said. "They know that I care." Latest News If landline phones are dying out, how do political polls work today? Mayfair Laboratory School in Baton Rouge gets national Blue Ribbon award Audit of Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge shows reported bank fraud, tax exemption loss North Carolina GOP senator signals he won’t vote for Robinson after bombshell report U.S. college student found dead after hike on South Africa's Table Mountain