Hanseling, Trejo-Amen capture state honors for work as school counselors

December 19, 2024

Nicki Hanseling and Mattie Trejo-Amen have earned places in the state spotlight for their roles as educational lighthouses for Lincoln students.
 
The Nebraska School Counselor Association (NSCA) recognized both Lincoln Public Schools employees this fall with prestigious honors. Hanseling, who works at Mickle Middle School, received the Nebraska Middle School Counselor of the Year Award. Trejo-Amen, who works at Humann Elementary School, received the Nebraska Elementary School Counselor of the Year Award.
 
Professionals from across the state congratulated them during a surprise announcement at the NSCA School Counselor Academy in Lincoln. Much like a lighthouse keeps ships safe in an ocean or bay, Hanseling and Trejo-Amen help students successfully navigate their way through all of the educational currents at their schools.

 
“When they announced my name, I just looked around at all the other counselors who were in the room, and I’m like, ‘I know everybody’s doing great things,’” Hanseling said. “It’s exciting, but it’s something I said in my speech, ‘I know you guys are all doing great things as well.’ I’m inspired by all the school counselors who were also in the room and nominated.”
 
“I’ve had so many people text and email and reach out to me, and just congratulate me or just say really, really kind things, and it’s felt really good,” Trejo-Amen said. “I have been so overwhelmed with the amount of kind things that people have said to me.”
 
Hanseling, Trejo-Amen and Milissa Birnie of Ansley Public Schools, who received the high school award, will be recognized at a formal dinner in February. NSCA leaders will announce one of them as the recipient of the Nebraska School Counselor of the Year Award at the dinner. They will represent Nebraska at the 2025 American School Counselor Association Annual Conference next summer.
 
Nicki Hanseling
Hanseling grew up in Seward and earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She taught at Southwest High School for four years before joining Mickle’s staff as a school counselor ten years ago.
 
Hanseling said her middle school counselor at Seward, Bruce Dickinson, was a role model for both her and many of her classmates. She wants to ensure LPS students will have the same type of supportive experiences in her role at Mickle.

 
“I found a home here at Mickle and I love it,” Hanseling said. “Working with kids and seeing the growth from coming in as sixth graders to leaving as eighth graders is just magic to watch. Even as sixth graders, the difference in them compared to seventh graders, and seventh graders compared to eighth graders, is just cool to see.”
 
Hanseling initially thought she had received a spam message when she read an email telling her she was one of 12 finalists for the state award. A co-worker who nominated her for the honor came into her office soon after that, and she confirmed to Hanseling that the recognition was real.
 
“Even to be acknowledged as one of the top 12 was humbling and exciting,” Hanseling said.

 
Hanseling begins each morning with supervisory duties in the hallways, and she speaks with teachers and administrators in team meetings throughout the day. She also visits with students in her office about a range of issues such as academic requirements, safety concerns and social and emotional issues.
 
“At the middle level, it’s a spectrum of somebody crying because their friend rolled their eyes at them, to we have something serious going on at home, and we need to support that student here at school, and how can we help them find a trusted adult to talk to?” Hanseling said. “I have an agenda of things I need to do, whether it’s running a small group or leading a team meeting, but we have to be very flexible in dropping everything we’re doing to respond to a crisis.”

 
Hanseling also speaks regularly with other LPS middle school counselors on group Zoom chats. They share recent experiences they’ve had, provide and ask for advice about certain situations and give valuable encouragement to their co-workers and friends.
 
“I think in our role, we take on a lot,” Hanseling said. “We have a lot of expectations for ourselves for making sure all kids feel seen and heard, all teachers feel seen and heard, all parents are responded to, so it helps to acknowledge that together and realize we are doing a good job.
 
“I think a lot of us feel like we could be doing more. We wish we had more time, we wish we could solve all the things every day and make everybody happy, but that doesn’t happen. So, it’s good to connect with each other and offer that support of, ‘Hey, you are doing a good job.’”

 
Hanseling said her primary mission at Mickle is to help students achieve success throughout their LPS careers.
 
“We don’t always get to see the growth they make by senior year, because they’re only here (at Mickle) for three short years,” Hanseling said. “So just acknowledging that and recognizing growth for a student may look really small initially, but we’re planting seeds for bigger things that they might do for themselves down the road.”
 
Mattie Trejo-Amen
Trejo-Amen grew up in Cozad and began her postgraduate work at Southeast Community College. Her career path began to take shape after she enrolled in a practicum class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She decided to pursue elementary education after having a positive experience in several LPS buildings.
 
Trejo-Amen taught at Belmont Elementary School for three years before applying for and being accepted into the Teach for America program. She said leading fourth graders in New Orleans for one year made a profound impact on her.

 
“It really changed my life, and I know that sounds super cheesy and cliché, but I was just opened up to so many different experiences teaching in New Orleans,” Trejo-Amen said. “It was such a good experience, and I think that has shaped me into who I am personally and professionally.”
 
One of those life-altering moments came when a student began crying because her mom had taken braids out of her hair. Trejo-Amen had a ponytail holder wrapped around her wrist, and she offered to put the student’s hair in a ponytail. That small gesture of kindness created a deep level of trust and respect from everyone in class the rest of the year.
 
“After I was done teaching there, school counseling was something I knew I wanted to do,” Trejo-Amen said. “I love teaching reading, writing and math, but I love getting to help contribute to developing people and teaching people how to be good people.”

 
Trejo-Amen returned to Belmont to teach third grade while completing her master’s degree. She became a school counselor at Pershing Elementary School in 2018-19 and began working at Humann three years ago.
 
One of Trejo-Amen’s top jobs is teaching citizenship and prosocial lessons in every K-5 classroom. She zeroes in on Humann’s four core values – being safe, respectful, responsible and kind – and tailors activities based on those areas. She supports them with their development of skills for learning, building relationships and problem solving to promote their academic and social-emotional success both at school and in the future.
 
A second major part of Trejo-Amen’s position is leading small groups of students in her counseling classroom. She helps them learn how to develop friendships, interact in social settings and improve problem-solving skills.

 
Trejo-Amen said it is rewarding to watch Humann students gain confidence academically, socially and emotionally after her lessons.
 
“I just love the things that I get to teach,” Trejo-Amen said. “I’m very passionate about what I teach, and I love working with kids.”
 
Trejo-Amen felt “shocked” when she learned she had been selected as a finalist for the elementary school counselor award. She was even more surprised when her name was announced as the winner. She walked in front of more than 200 fellow school counselors and gave a short speech humbly thanking them for the honor.
 
Another visible reminder of Trejo-Amen’s educational impact came last year when she met her former students in New Orleans. Her smiling fourth graders were now accepting diplomas at their high school graduation, and Trejo-Amen was there to share in their excitement.
 
“That was a really big full-circle moment,” Trejo-Amen said. “It was just exciting to see that and to have a part of that.”
 
While she was in New Orleans, Trejo-Amen learned that one of her students had been accepted into a prestigious program at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is thriving at Howard and is poised to have a successful career.

 
Trejo-Amen said she believes every student at LPS can write similar stories because of the staff members at every building.
 
“Being an educator is really challenging, so a goal of mine is to share my passion and love for the profession because it really is the best,” Trejo-Amen said. “We have a part in helping little people become the best version of themselves, and that is the coolest thing ever.”

To learn more about our school counselors, visit our website at https://home.lps.org/counseling.
 
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