Mary Jo Bracken
Honored with the 2012 Exemplary Professional School Counselor Award of Hampton Roads
Mary Jo Bracken, a School Counseling Site Supervisor through the School of Education School Counseling program has been recognized with the 2012 Exemplary Professional School Counselor Award of Hampton Roads.
Professor John Brendel, Counselor Education, School Counseling said, "Mary Jo Bracken is a counselor at Toano Middle School and is one of the unsung heroes in our cadre of field site supervisors. She is consistently rated as exceptional by the School Counseling W&M students she works with as interns."
"Whenever we have run in to some difficulties with other sites falling through at the last minute, Mary Jo has always come through for us and created an internship slot (and one semester she even came up with two!) for our students. She's so successful because she sets high standards for our students and then teaches them along the way so they can meet those standards. When they evaluate her as supervisor at the end of their practicums or internships, she always gets very high ratings.
Brandi Barber White, who earned her M.Ed. in 2009 in counseling and now works at Toano Middle School said, "I feel very blessed to work with Mary Jo. She is passionate about her role as a school counselor and shares her love of helping with all she encounters. I have learned so much from her over the last two years and I consider her much more than a colleague; she is also a friend and mentor. I am not the only one who has been impacted by her caring nature and teaching skills. I have observed her in her role as a supervisor to several William and Mary students and she has truly made such a difference for them. I have watched these students transform under her leadership and encouragement and become more confident and comfortable with their abilities. Mary Jo radiates with enthusiasm for the school counseling profession and is very deserving of recognition for her hard work and dedication!"
