Savannah Wilkerson

Northview gains a new addition to the counseling suite

Photo by Shadi Karimifard, Staff Writer/Photographer

Shadi Karimifard, Staff Writer/Photographer & Kevin Xiang, Editor-in-Chief

Northview’s counseling department recently gained a new member: Savannah Wilkerson, who works with students with last names Sk-Z, to plan out their schedules, apply to college, and so much more. In the short time she has been here, she has already gained the praise of teachers and students.

Wilkerson has made an impact on the students at Northview. Senior Amelia Zhou has had many interactions with Wilkerson over the past few weeks.

“She gave me tips on my CommonApp and helped me with my GAfutures account,” Zhou said. “She’s consistent and fast at solving problems. She has answered every question I had in the span of five minutes.”

Her presence around her coworkers has been encouraging as well. Wilkerson has taken her new environment seriously, taking on an array of tasks, from helping freshmen plan their course schedules to helping seniors narrow down their college lists.

“She was the first one here and pretty much the last one to leave those first couple of weeks because she was trying so hard to get everything ready,” Taryn Woolstenhulme, the school registrar, said.

Woolstenhulme, who works with many of the counselors to obtain school transcripts and other records, has seen the work quality of Wilkerson’s as well.

“She does a lot of the legwork for me, where she'll already find out who my contact is and everything like that,” Woolstenhulme said. “Most of the time I look at it myself, but I like that she goes the extra mile and already gets that information for me.”

Northview Principal Martin Neuhaus who hired Wilkerson as an elementary school counselor when he was the principal of Barnwell Elementary, has seen her work ethic as well.

“She’s prepared. She shows up on time. She asks good questions. Good teammates challenge and ask questions,” Neuhaus said. “She’s not someone I have to remind, ‘don’t forget about this’.”

For Wilkerson, the journey to Northview is a culmination of a path started when she, herself, was in high school.

“I was an average student, all on-level [classes] in high school, and had some challenges in life,” Wilkerson said.

Her own school counselor at Pope High School played a major role in that part of her life, guiding her through financial aid and researching colleges, as well as giving her a safe space to talk. The biggest thing, though, was when her counselor applied for a grant for her to attend college.

“That little small thing that she did was really one of the first things that an adult had ever done to show me that I was worthy and belonged in higher education,” Wilkerson said.

From there, Wilkerson knew she wanted to spread that kind of care to other students. She started interning and getting a job at Pope High School with her former counselor, who eventually paid for her GRE to attend graduate school.

Eventually, Wilkerson got a job at Barnwell Elementary School as the sole elementary school counselor. This meant she gained experience working with students through classroom teaching, as well as all the responsibilities that normally get split up in high school. But her experience there let Neuhaus see her potential.

“I know that high school is where she always wanted to be,” Neuhaus said. “So it was easy for me when we had another counselor opening. I knew I had somebody great I could pull in.”

Although Neuhaus praises Wilkerson for her hard work, Wilkerson praises the work of the students she leads.

“I have been so amazed at the commitment and passion for learning that students have here in Northview,” Wilkerson said. “I don't think I have ever experienced the amount of students that want to take very rigorous and challenging coursework.”

Wilkerson has swiftly adjusted to the culture at Northview, quickly participating in dress-up days and taking a role in the Northview Counseling social media accounts. She has been learning from students and faculty each day.

“She fits in really well with the four pillars at Northview,” Zhou said. “She’s shown a positive attitude, kindness, and compassion to me.”

At the end of the day, Wilkerson is just living out her life goal, happily putting in as much effort as necessary to help students bridge the gap to college and beyond.

“I hope people can see that this is everything I've ever wanted to do,” Wilkerson said.