Her Story
About Monica
Monica Jackson serves as a school counselor and limited licensed mental health therapist in the Flint, Michigan school system, where she has worked since 2023. She entered the education field in 2018 after earning her master's degree in counseling and completing a post-master's fellowship at Michigan State University to gain clinical hours. Prior to this career pivot, Jackson earned her undergraduate degree in marketing from Georgetown University with a minor in psychology and held roles in insurance at GEICO, as well as positions in the automotive industry involving customer service, quality assurance, and IT support. She is a member of the Michigan School Counselors Association, the American School Counselors Association, and the American Counseling Association. Jackson also serves on the board of Flint Heights Terrace, a non-profit low-income housing development. She attributes her professional success to her faith, soul searching, prayer, and learning to trust her own abilities and value, while emphasizing the importance of family, integrity, and seeing the human element in others.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Monica
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute it to my faith. ... through searching, soul searching, prayer... trusting yourself, like, trusting yourself and your abilities, and your worth, and your value, that there is something valuable in each of us. We have gifts, talents, abilities, and just trusting those things.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
You have value. ... I have suffered from imposter syndrome. And so, I think just, you're valuable, you have value. And the more you hear it, the more you tell yourself that the more... when you're in spaces that aren't a good fit, you don't feel valuable. But it doesn't always have to do with you, it just may not be the fit for you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find something because for the first time in my life, I feel like I have a real career identity. ... tap into your interests, your abilities, you know, things that you may take for granted that you do could lead to a fulfilling and rewarding career. ... listening to those things, paying attention to those things... paying attention to that inner voice, intuition...
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Definitely family. I do value integrity... Seeing people for who they are, like, just human... That human element, like, just seeing people for who they are and valuing people. Because we all come from different backgrounds... value people, their stories.
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