LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Teresa Majerus was nominated by her colleague, Beth Terzo.

Mrs. Majerus has positively changed the lives of so many students and colleagues! She demonstrates the true definition of having a love and passion for her students and co-workers. She's dedicated, humble, and truly focused on the well-being of others. 

Mrs. Majerus is a true leader.  She embraces the role of lead counselor in her school district.  She encourages her co-counselors and helps create a cohesive counseling cohort. Mrs. Majerus ensures she and her counseling colleagues are all using the same language, and that policies and guidelines are the same for all situations district-wide. She offers support for her co-workers, and her leadership allows her team to effectively provide support for others.

Mrs. Majerus has also shown leadership by taking the lead with her District Crisis Team.  She has numerous connections with outside resources. She knows who to call and what to do when emergencies arise. In the past three years, she has also been the lead in organizing staff, students, administrators, and outside resources when her school endured a bomb threat, the death of two students in a car accident, and most recently, a student suicide. She maintains a professional demeanor while handling very difficult situations.  She is the person everyone turns to for encouragement and support. 

Her impact reaches outside of her school community, as well.  She has a private counseling license and is part of numerous outside agencies such as the Central Montana Youth Challenge, Behavioral Health Task Force, DUI Task Force, and Critical Incident Stress Management Team. She is an active member of her church and works closely with other local clergies when needs arise.

Like other school counselors, Mrs. Majerus follows the American School Counselor Association model. What truly sets her apart, however, is her professionalism and persistence in assuring that her co-workers also meet the recommendations of the ASCA model. She's a true advocate for her students, her team, and the school counseling profession. Her advocacy efforts include presenting to the school board to educate them on what school counselors do at various buildings/grade levels.  

Mrs. Majerus is equally effective in leading student advocacy projects on a larger scale.  She demonstrated this through her collaboration with Fergus High School's freshman teaching staff on a career pathway awareness project in 2019. In a testament to her excellent relationship and partnering skills, she worked with each teacher individually to integrate exploration of over 115 different career pathways in a way that met the needs of all parties. 

In addition to being a change leader within her district, Mrs. Majerus also works to make a difference on the state level.  She has served as a board member for the state school counselor association, and she continues to participate in state-wide advocacy projects.

"Teresa is a true hero to the school counseling profession and to all those whose lives she has touched," said Terzo.

Comments