As a high school teacher, Julia Zahn was struck by the struggles her students faced as teen parents and without stable home environments. “I realized that in order to educate these children, I must find a way to address their other needs and support them both in and out of the classroom,” she explains. After four years in the classroom, Ms. Zahn decided to become a school social worker, the role she has filled at Ketcham for the past six years. She recognizes the challenges in her school community – almost thirty percent of the students are homeless, and 99 percent are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. But Ms. Zahn is committed to supporting families to remove barriers to education by providing counseling, crisis supports and resources, improving attendance, promoting social and emotional well-being, and improving access to needed supports.

Ms. Zahn does this in a variety of leadership roles at her school, serving as chair of the Student Support Team, food pantry co-chair, member of the Academic Leadership Team, co-chair of the Mental Health and Crisis Team, homeless liaison, leader of the Attendance Committee, and as Community Partnership Liaison. Despite her myriad responsibilities, her colleagues and principal commend Ms. Zahn for her open door policy and always making time for students and families. Ms. Zahn explains, “There is nothing better than having a parent or student come back and talk about the ways that your work made a difference in their lives. That in some small way, you made their path an easier one.”