Meg Kozel is saying goodbye after six years leading Akins’ Student Support Services office.
The Student Support Services office is unique in Austin ISD because most other high schools do not have a social worker like Kozel on staff who can provide counseling and free resources to students in need. She has led the SSS since 2018 after serving as an intern for the previous SSS director.
The Eagle’s Eye asked Kozel a few questions about her time at Akins and what she would miss about working here.
EE: How was your experience leading the Student Support Services program at Akins?
MK: Oh my gosh. Amazing. Absolutely Amazing. Akins is such a special place and has such a special place in my heart. Yeah, I think amazing just really says it all.
EE: What makes the SSS program special?
MK: So I think what makes us most special is that I am a part of Akins School. So what I mean by that is that the administration makes sure they fund and pay for my position. With money that’s just for the campus. So I can establish relationships with staff and students in a unique way. That’s pretty uncommon across the district. Not many high schoolers have one social worker on our campus who isn’t part of a contract organization.
EE: What other unique challenges have you faced leading the SSS?
MK: The challenges that SSS has faced have just been challenges that we all go through, you know, our job here is to support students, and students experience lots of challenges. So that’s obviously been hard COVID Right? Like, who wasn’t challenged by COVID I think also, maybe some people don’t always recognize how much we can do in SSS. So sometimes, maybe we’re not brought into things as we should be. But that’s rarely happens. I think most people in our school are pretty good about reaching out to us for support. So maybe one of the challenges has been, we’re able to do a lot on our campus, but we can’t do everything and have limited resources outside of school. I don’t know if that’s a good answer or not.
EE: What are some examples of positive impacts you have seen the SSS program have on students at Akins?
MK: I think so many positive impacts right from the most basic things such as making sure students have a change of clothes when they need it. You know, when it’s raining outside and you get drenched on your walk to the portables to making sure a student who’s experiencing a mental health crisis for the first time has resources, you know, to students who are homeless, having a place to go, you know, supporting students as they get into college helping them overcome things you know, In six and a half years I’ve just heard so many amazing stories and been able to meet so many amazing students and see them go on and do so many amazing things.
EE: What has caused you to have to leave Akins now?
MK: So I had a baby in December, and just really wanted to be closer to family and have more support for my daughter. So we’re moving to Houston.
EE: As you prepare to leave the school campus, what are your future plans for your career in education?
MK: So I’m going to be working at another school as a school counselor in Houston. My biggest plan is to work with our admin and hopefully transition this place and leave it in good hands. And so I want to do everything I can to ensure that all of our Akins students still have access to the same kind of support and services that we’ve been able to assist with providing.
EE: What do you foresee for the future of the SSS program after you leave? Will the campus still support having an SSS program?
MK: So the administration has committed to still funding you know, a social worker on campus and still having the SSS program. In addition, the bond that was passed also had funding in there for mental health centers. And so my understanding is that’s going to be in addition to SSS. I think our administrators really recognize the value that SSS brings. And so again, even though I’m moving to a different city, I think they’ve expressed that they still recognize the support that this can bring to our campus and are committed to keeping it here.
EE: What should students who have come to you for support do after you leave Akins?
Meg Kozel: After I leave Akins, I think I want students who have come to me to support me to remember that I am honestly not the most important person in their lives. They are the most important person, they are capable of so many strengths, they are capable of coping and overcoming whatever challenges and I have just had the honor to support them in that and I just want them to know that they will be OK and that there will still be help available. And I want them to know that I care so much about every single one of them. And they will always have a special place in my heart.
EE: Why do you think having an on-campus counseling service available to students is important?
MK: I think it’s about the relationships that I’m able to forge. I think I’m here every single day I’m able to do so many different things on our campus and interact with so many students in so many different ways that I’m able to build really strong bonds and relationships in ways that I don’t know if people could do it if they weren’t in a in a position like mine. And relationships are everything, right, in order to trust someone and get your needs met.
