Irene Khaksari of Ellicott City's Centennial High named Maryland High School Counselor of the Year
Feb. 15—Centennial High School counselor Irene Khaksari was named High School Counselor of the Year Feb. 5 by the Maryland School Counselor Association.
Khaksari, 44, has worked at the Ellicott City high school since 2017 and was recognized for her outstanding leadership, professionalism and efforts to support students' academic, career and personal journeys, according to the Howard school system.
"Irene has always reached out to advocate for young people," said Executive Director of Program Innovation and Student Well-Being Caroline Walker. "If she sees a young person who needs a different structure or a different process or has an opportunity that they are not taking advantage of, she's the first person to advocate for that young person."
Howard school counselors provide students with a range of services, from crisis intervention and mental health support to academic and career planning. Khaksari said counselors' day-to-day work can go unnoticed and that she was humbled to receive the award.
"It's just really important to highlight the work that school counselors are doing," said Khaksari, who lives in Mount Airy with her husband, Amir, and two children, Giovanna, 10, and Stavros, 9. "All these awards just bring attention to all the work we're doing and all the work that needs to be done."
Khaksari was born in Baltimore and attended Towson High School. Her father died when she was 12 and she saw firsthand the impact counselors could have on children's lives.
"I had some really good experiences with educators at that time, folks coming to our house, folks checking in, teachers that I think really helped me and my sisters get through the experience," Khaksari said. "I have tried really hard to do that, just always be present for every kid."
Khaksari stayed close to home, receiving a bachelor's degree in education and a master's in education with a concentration in school counseling from Loyola University Maryland. She worked at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia as a counselor for eight years before moving to Centennial.
Being the daughter of Greek immigrants influenced her mindset as a counselor in an increasingly diverse county, Khaksari said.
"Education is the great equalizer and so we want this for everybody," she said. "I see what my mom went through and what she needed and we try and provide that for our students, especially our immigrants."
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Khaksari spoke about the toll the pandemic took on students' mental health and the challenges of providing counseling services on a screen.
"There were students that couldn't be themselves in their houses," she said. "They come here for solace and for support and love and all of that gets taken away [during COVID-19]."
On top of her daily responsibilities, Khaksari also has an intern from counseling programs at local universities every year. Despite the added workload, she wants to ensure the next generation of school counselors is equally passionate about the job.
"For me, it's being in the trenches and being an advocate and seeing what needs to happen day by day that makes me get up in the morning," Khaksari said.
The MSCA is a professional association that provides professional networking and advocacy opportunities for public and private school counselors around the state. The association will honor Khaksari and several other 2023 award recipients at a ceremony March 19 in Cambridge.
On Feb. 6, staff, family and friends surprised Khaksari at Centennial to celebrate her achievement.
"Irene cares deeply for students and that's the sort of person we want in our buildings," Walker said. "There certainly are not enough people to do those jobs right now and we need them very, very much because they're a lifeline to many children."
