story by Claire Miller
Grace Lee was working as the director of diversity at a local K-12 school when she started thinking about earning a graduate degree in counseling.
“I started seeing a pattern of the same students coming into my office daily, sharing relationship problems, just catching up or disclosing some things they had not even shared with their parents,” she said. “I knew creating a space where students could feel seen and heard was innately a part of who I was, despite my job title.”
This experience with her students inspired her to return to her alma mater, Georgia State University, to earn her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
During her undergraduate program at Georgia State, Lee served as a 1913 Society ambassador, was named homecoming queen in 2011 (only the third Asian woman to gain the title in the university’s history) and served as vice president of student services for the Student Government Association.
This time around, she’s working as a counseling intern for Georgia State Athletics, where she provides counseling services to student athletes. She’s also attended some of her clients’ games, though not in a professional capacity.
“I try to respect the privacy of every client, so I do not acknowledge them in public. But as I showed up to one of the games, a few of my clients saw me and started waving me down in front of their teammates, and I cheerfully waved back,” Lee said. “It’s my way of showing the athletes that I care for them beyond the counseling session.”
No matter what setting she’s in – a K-12 school’s diversity office, in session with student athletes or in class – Lee shows up for everyone she interacts with.
This approach to her work earned her the Outstanding Clinical Mental Health Counseling Student Award at the College of Education & Human Development’s annual Honors Day Ceremony on April 1.
This award is given to master’s students in the clinical mental health counseling program in recognition of leadership, service, advocacy, scholarship and mentorship.
“Receiving this award is a reminder that it’s okay to take risks to try something new. When I was the director of diversity at my high school alma mater, working with those students was everything to me. I loved giving back to the community I was so familiar with,” Lee said. “This award affirms that all of the hard work I put into completing this program has paid off and hopefully made a difference.”