Although every journey is not paved the same way, the challenges along the way are never too tall of a task to overcome. That’s a lesson that Lydia McNeiley has remembered since her childhood and continues to share with students.
McNeiley was named the Indiana School Counselor of the Year by the Indiana School Counselor Association. She works as the college and career coordinator for the School City of Hammond.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, she began studying at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) as a first-generation college student.
“It was a very difficult journey for me,” McNeiley said. “I wasn’t accustomed to filling out FAFSA forms and there was nobody that I could look to for assistance, so it was a lot of work that I had to overcome.”
However, McNeiley decided to stop going to school and start working full-time after the birth of her daughter, Cristina. This includes school system positions such as working as a parent aide, paraprofessional, and behavioral interventionist. She also worked for 13 years at a telecommunications company.
At the same time, McNeiley never had plans to give up on getting her degree. She was in school for the majority of her daughter’s childhood, taking classes up until one year before Cristina received her bachelor’s degree in her journey to becoming a lawyer.
“I think of myself as a lifelong learner,” McNeiley said. “I’m always taking classes or even doing additional work that goes beyond the lines of school counseling.”
McNeiley went to college to become a school counselor, a career that she always wanted to do even through struggling times. She received her bachelor’s degree at Indiana University (IU) Northwest, and her experiences around school counselors inspired her to pursue a master’s degree, which she received from Purdue University Northwest (PNW).
When McNeiley found out she was being honored as the Indiana School Counselor of the Year, she was both emotional and proud to receive the achievement following the adversity she faced over time.
“There were times when we moved from place to place and things weren’t stable. My daughter was with me when I won the award, so I think that was a combination of what we’ve done together, and I couldn’t be more proud,” McNeiley said.
Over the years, she has seen the evolution of school counselors from working in an office setting to assist students with their schedules to working with community leaders and sponsors more in the classroom.
In addition to her contributions at the School City of Hammond, McNeiley was recently elected to the Indiana School Counselors Board of Directors. She also serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee with the American School Counselor Association. Outside of the school environment, she was named a member of the Hammond Public Library Board of Trustees earlier this year. In her free time, she appreciates the company of her three dogs and one cat.
McNeiley recognizes that the students at Hammond have played a large part in her heart. She has come across many students in the school corporation that are aspiring to be first-generation college students just like she once was. She wants the students to understand that they are capable of doing anything, and her goal is to ensure they are able to see those opportunities that will make them happiest.
“Sometimes, life is going to throw you curveballs,” McNeiley said. “It’s important to understand that it’s not the end of the road. That’s what I want our students and this community to remember in each of their journeys.”
McNeiley will be presenting in the national conference for the American School Counselor Association next month and representing the state organization next year in Washington D.C.