IMPACT Grant Candidate Spotlight

Read about a new candidate for this grant each month. Discover what motivates them to enter this field and the passion they bring to become a licensed school counselor.

Kelsey Brumfield currently teaches third grade at Mt. View Elementary School, bringing with her a BS in Elementary Education with an EL endorsement from Lipscomb University. Her journey toward school counseling emerged from a desire to make a broader impact beyond her classroom walls. While she cherishes building student relationships and conducting SEL lessons, the mounting pressures of state testing and third-grade retention laws have increasingly constrained these meaningful interactions. This realization led her to envision school counseling as a path to touch more students' lives, particularly those most in need of support.

Her own experiences with anxiety, triggered by a devastating tornado that struck her hometown during her kindergarten year, deeply inform her approach to counseling. Though her home and school were spared, the event left an indelible mark on her life. The compassionate intervention of her school counselor, who helped her create a "5 Senses Box" and provided a safe space during anxious moments, demonstrated the profound impact a counselor can have. This personal experience, combined with her graduate studies, has reinforced her belief that each student deserves individualized attention and support. Outside of her professional pursuits, she finds solace in reading thrillers during her rare moments of free time between teaching and graduate studies. Her journey through the counseling program, though challenging, has been unexpectedly transformative, providing her with valuable insights and tools for her future role in supporting students' diverse