Ruth Okonkwo
School Counselor
Ruth has been listening to teenagers for two decades. On Saturdays, she listens to the soil.
“A garden tells the truth a teenager isn’t ready to say out loud.”
Holding the room
Ruth’s office is small and bright and full of plants. Students who would never speak in a classroom find themselves talking here, often about things they didn’t know they were carrying.
The Saturday garden
Five years ago, she helped a neighborhood church convert a vacant lot into a community garden. Today it feeds forty families and quietly mentors a dozen of her former students.
Fast Facts
Role
School Counselor
Country
Atlanta, GA, United States
Years in education
21
Passion
Community gardening
Favorite quote
Hope is a discipline.
Education
MEd Counseling, Emory University
Awards
ASCA Counselor of the Year, 2021
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