Counselor Education alumna’s family gives back

Maggie Connor, ’15 MA, feels lucky having graduated with honors from the Counselor Education program. “In two years, I grew so much as a person and a professional. I have great knowledge about counseling from my professors. I made lifelong friends in my cohort, and after the practicum and internships, I found a job that I love.”

To honor Maggie, her parents Andy and Kathy Connor made a gift to their daughter’s program to support scholarships.

“In our family, we feel it’s important to give back,” said Andy, who is a 1981 Buckeye dentistry graduate and an orthodontist in Lancaster, Ohio. “We like that the counseling program is top notch, and the field is perfect for Maggie. She is compassionate and a good listener, and she loves helping children. These are the qualities I feel a school counselor should possess.”

Today, Maggie is gratified to work with children at Bluffsview Elementary School in Worthington.

“Doing classroom lessons and activities with them once a month helps them get to know me,” she said. “Then they feel more comfortable coming to me with problems.”

She especially likes exploring social issues with them. “Recently, I did a lesson on compassion and tolerance. The kids talked so openly about all the ways we’re the same yet different, from skin color to abilities and disabilities. They are way more open and accepting than we think they are.”

Maggie hopes her family’s gift will help other graduate students benefit from the program. “The counseling program is excellent and really prepared me for my current job. I want to give those benefits to others as well.”

Maggie hopes her family’s gift will help other graduate students benefit from the program. “The counseling program is excellent and really prepared me for my current job. I want to give those benefits to others as well.”