“No pressure, no diamonds.” This quote by Mary Case describes perfectly the actions of a particularly wonderful guidance counselor here at Jacksonville High School.
Megan Waterstraat, the counselor for sophomores and freshman this school year, puts pressure on her kids to excel in their academic lives. She turns tears into laughter and isn’t afraid to share a personal story to make a student feel better about his or her problems, whether it be related to school or everyday life.
Waterstraat attended MacMurray College for her undergrad and says, “MacMurray just felt like home.” While at Mac she studied psychology and Spanish. She later attended Quincy University, with her brother, for her Master’s Degree in education counseling.
“Two things led me to becoming a school counselor,” said Waterstraat. “The first thing is I like people and I like helping people. Secondly, I love everything about school, and I always have. I always get excited for back-to-school time!”
Waterstraat’s role models that have influenced her life are her dad and Grandma Barb. She said, “My dad has shown me that hard work and enjoying life are a balance that needs to be maintained; both are important. My grandma Barb is just one of the classiest ladies I know.”
Waterstraat says her favorite part of her job is “all of the wonderful people I get to see on a daily basis.” While her least favorite part is all of the paperwork.
A great message that Waterstraat gives her students is her outlook on the past. She said, “I wouldn’t change a thing, good or bad. We all make choices in life, and sometimes those choices lead to lessons learned. Even if they are learned the hard way, everything happens for a reason.”
Megan Waterstaat is a true inspiration and has many great qualities that she can showcase for her students, so they can aspire to be better. She is a role model for many and tends to lead by example — creating diamonds along the way.