Briana Meyer, a school counselor at Hedrick Middle School in Medford, has been selected as the Oregon School Counselor of the Year by the Oregon School Counselor Association for her dedication to helping and looking out for her students.

Announced by the Oregon School Counselor Association in October, the accolade honors an Oregon school counselor each year who’s devoted their career to serving as advocates for students and addressing their academic achievement, socio-economic development and career and college readiness.

“It was a really nice surprise,” Meyer said, reflecting on the award. “It’s been incredible. It’s not about doing it for the attention or recognition, but it’s been a long process to build a comprehensive school counselor program from nothing to having that hard work done over the last four years recognized and to know that that’s something students and the community will be benefiting from.”

Since starting with the Medford School District in 2020, Meyer has built an American School Counselor Association-aligned school counseling program at Hedrick Middle School, which has been adopted by other schools in the district.

Meyer has established multiple interventions, including small groups, peer meditation and one-on-one meetings, to alleviate students’ social anxiety, build peer relationship skills and prepare kids for academic and professional success.

“We were building a program from scratch; I had a pretty important role in that and built social-emotional learning curriculum and stepping stones in place, and all the middle schools have adopted it at this point,” she said.

“It’s a humbling experience but also an eye-opening moment; this is something that I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into,” Meyer added.

She previously earned the 2023-24 Counselor of the Year award from the Medford School District for her efforts.

Meyer praised her mentor, Amy Muhler, who is the director of student wellness with the district.

“She actually is the one who nominated me earlier in the year,” Meyer said.

Outside of her long-term efforts to establish and strengthen programs aiding students’ mental health in the district, her day-to-day varies and involves meeting students where they are, whether to sort through difficult conversations or to be a friend to talk to.

“The exciting part of my job is every day is so different. I don’t know what I’ll be walking into on a daily basis,” Meyer said.

“I’m bouncing around classrooms and meeting students one-on-one and running small groups with students. … If you need something, I’m your go-to person.”

Meyer graduated from the Oregon State University’s Cascades’ Masters of School Counseling Program and has been a counselor for five years.

After receiving the Oregon School Counselor of the Year award, she will be considered as a candidate for the 2026 American School Counselor Association School Counselor of the Year award.

“It just is super rewarding to me to know that even though some days are long and hard, that families are going to be in better situations than when they walked in my door,” Meyer said.

“That’s my goal ultimately.”