For anyone wondering how to go to the college of their dreams or land the perfect job, Lori Jones, Canyons District’s Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Coordinator, has some words of wisdom for you.
“I want them to look at every challenge as an opportunity to learn, and make sure they take hard classes that make them think. (Students) should go the extra mile by exploring and learning everything they can about the career of their dreams, and the college of their dreams,” Jones said.
Jones has been named the Utah Technology Council’s Educator of the Year. She was selected for the prestigious award for her efforts to connect school counselors with industry representatives and improve career opportunities for students. She also was noted for her efforts to give counselors the training and resources they need to have the most cutting-edge information about the job market available for students. For the last two years, Jones focused on bringing industry executives, mostly from engineering and high-tech jobs, to meet with the counselors at the annual Wasatch Front Counselor Fair to make sure their knowledge was up to date.
“It’s important to have continual training as to what are the high-paying jobs and what skills (employees) are looking for,” Jones says. “Our hope is to help students understand what is going on in the world of work and why they need to take rigorous classes and pursue post-secondary options.”
In addition to meeting with school counselors, Jones says students should meet with their school’s work-based learning specialist and participate in job-shadow events and visit colleges to be more educated about their choices in life.
Jones herself has held a variety of jobs in education over the course of her 28-year career. She taught fourth grade, seventh grade, and ninth grade, and worked as a middle school counselor and high school counselor specialist before becoming Canyons’ Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Coordinator but she’s far from being finished. Next school year, Jones will serve as principal of CSD’s Sprucewood Elementary School. She will replace Garth Anderson, who is retiring.
