By Victoria Walker
Business Manager

You can never be quite sure what to expect, walking into the newly arranged office of an incoming staff member. Often, after only a few days into the new job, white walls and cold metal filing cabinets are the only hints given at one’s life and past experiences, leaving questions regarding the newcomer’s identity.

With WA’s new guidance counselor, Jill Karatkewicz, this is far from the case. Only a few days into the new school year, her office is already adorned with family photographs and crayon drawings. Below the gleaming Mac computer, open to a text-heavy Word document, sits a Boston Red Sox stress ball, a sports water bottle and a pink highlighter. Thus established as a diligent worker, athlete and Boston sports fan, Karatkewicz seems to fit into the Westford Academy community before she even introduces herself.

Despite the Grey Ghost mouse pad on her desk, Karatkewicz is not a veteran of the school, nor is she even a resident of Westford. She did grow up in the area though – in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where she spent much of her childhood. She moved towns only once, partially to move closer to her father’s high school job and partially for the rewarding experience of running on the track team there, of which he was the coach.

Karatkewicz ran right through graduation and on to college, at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. Knowing she wanted to focus her life on helping others, Karatkewicz decided early on to become a guidance counselor, preferably for young adults. While working towards her Masters degree, she designed her own internship at Auburn High School, which confirmed her desire to become a high school counselor.

“I think I knew all along that I wanted to go into some sort of helping profession,” she said. “Working in a school is a really good mix for me, being able to work with particularly high school age students, because I like to see the growth they go through from freshman year to senior year and kind of watch the young men and women as they become successful adults, and send them off into the world, hopefully well equipped to do great things.”

She adds that her favorite part of the job is working with students who are applying to colleges, specifically helping unique individuals find their right fit school, where they can be the happiest and most successful.

Seven years into her career, Karatkewicz has succeeded in her goal, having worked at two schools in Connecticut before her move to WA. At East Hampton High School, a small school of about 550 students, she reached the top of her department and acted as Director of Guidance.

Westford’s own Director of Guidance, Wendy Pechacek, can already see that her new co-worker is settling in well.

“Mrs. Karatkewicz is making a very smooth transition into the Guidance Department  at Westford Academy. She is a seasoned professional, but also young and energetic. She has seven years of high school guidance experience and is knowledgeable about the college application process, as well as Naviance, and the other initiatives we have in our department,” she said.

This summer, Karatkewicz moved with her husband back to Massachusetts. Now married, she enjoys running with a stroller carrying her energetic twenty-one month old daughter. While moving houses is always difficult, Karatkewicz feels at home in the area and is glad to be back.

“I’m excited to be back in Massachusetts. Connecticut was great, but I’m a Boston girl at heart… too many Yankees fans and Giants fans [in Connecticut], I couldn’t handle it,” she said jokingly.

Since she is working a familiar job, the most significant change for Karatkewicz coming to WA is the people. She is excited, however, to turn all of the new faces into familiar coworkers and students. Her guidance office door always open, and Karatkewicz looks forward to students stopping by to say hello.

“I would want students to know that I really love what I do and I am excited about it, and I am excited to he here, and that my door is open and I’ve got Life Savers,” she assured.

It’s very soon to start looking towards the future, just over a week into her job, but as she searches for a new home, Karatkewicz is keeping Westford in consideration. Of the places she has worked, WA stands out as having the most incredibly helpful students.

“I think every high school I’ve worked in says ‘We have really great students here,’ but even just in the first week and a half that has become incredibly apparent to me [here],” she said. “Even before I started the job here, I had a bunch of emails from students, just welcoming me to WA and hoping that I had a great year. It was nice to feel that welcome.”

Karatkewicz ponders that someday, perhaps her daughter will graduate from Westford Academy. For the time being, she looks forward to meeting the rest of the students at the school, helping many of them get into college, and watching shy, timid freshman grow into confident, successful seniors with her help.