I had incredible teachers and school counselors growing up and knew at a young age that I wanted to become a school counselor. Obtaining a teaching degree was an automatic. I just knew! I went on to get, not only two teaching degrees, but also two masters degrees (School Counseling and Community Mental Health) and then (because that wasn’t enough) I completed my PhD in Counseling Education and Supervision.

I have worked in schools from K-5, 5-8, and 9-12. I have students who I have remained connected to over the years. My favorite moment is when a former student (now in her 30s) called me out of the blue to tell me that she believed I saved her life in high school. She was going through a tough time and was considering suicide. I met with her and her parents and connected her to the mental health services she needed. She said that had I not helped her she would have likely taken her own life.

I would plan a vacation with my (newly retired-also a lifelong teacher) husband and our five boys! Somewhere warm (currently in very frozen Minnesota.) we have three boys together who are all grown (two are elementary teachers and one is an active duty Marine), but then we also adopted two more boys. We love providing our younger boys with new travel opportunities that they never had in foster care! And, I’d buy fun counseling supplies for my school as a gift from me before I (someday) retire.