Terri Williams was the 2019–2020 recipient.
In an environment that Terri Williams described as warm, friendly and welcoming, she has been aiding students of Seneca High School as a paraprofessional for the past nine years.
Williams’ dedication to students and the “Seneca family” has not gone unnoticed, as she has been named the 2019–2020 educational services professional of the year.
Her love for aiding others began at a young age, with her childhood dream being to become a math teacher. Over the course of her high school years, Williams decided to forgo her dream of teaching to pursue the computer field.
She went on to graduate from Stockton University with an information system science degree, and became a computer programmer/analyst.
Williams said that although she enjoyed her job, her passion for teaching kept arising. She decided to leave her job as a computer programmer after 18 years, and with the support of her family, she was able to explore her love for a career path that she had long suppressed.
With this opportunity to shift careers, she took on volunteer positions as a teachers aide. While volunteering, Williams said she had the thought: “I need to do this, I need to find a job where I can do this.”
Once the position as a paraprofessional became available at Seneca, she applied. She said that as soon as she started she knew she found her niche.
In her position, Williams works with classroom teachers to learn modifications required for the students she works with to guarantee all educational needs are met. Going above and beyond, she takes it upon herself to learn the interests and talents of each student she works with.
This enables her to better tailor her assistance based on their interests to help them complete their tasks and work toward achieving their goals in a fun way.
Williams assists with buddies club, adaptive PE club, social recreation club, the bowling team, special events such as dances and game night, and is a part of the extended school year program. She also attends continuing education training.
Upon receiving the title as educational services professional of the year, Williams said she was shocked and full of emotion, and the moment was made even more special when her son Justin and husband Sam surprised her while receiving the award.
“It is really hard for me to express how honored I am to receive the educational services professional of the year award. So much of what I do every day is made possible by a culmination of the hard work and dedication of so many people at Seneca,” Williams said. “Although I am the recipient of the award, I could not be successful in my job without the help of my fellow paraprofessionals. We work together and draw support from each other to contribute to the success of our students.”
