LifeChanger of the Year, our national educator recognition program, began this year’s awards season by surprising a Missouri guidance counselor as a grand prize finalist.
Program Director Mallorie Manosh and Joe Bousquet of the Retirement Services team appeared virtually at a faculty meeting at Joplin High School.
They announced that Sue Day was one of our five finalists.
“Educators typically enter the field because they want to make a positive difference for kids, but it’s not every day that an extraordinary soul comes along whose efforts at building relationships and validating the worth of individuals goes above and beyond what others are willing to give,” Superintendent Melinda Moss wrote in nominating Day for the award.
Day was recognized for her 48 years in education dedicate to such programs as Eagle Advantage career ladder program, Missouri A+ that helps students with high grades get into junior colleges with free tuition and books, and the Innovation Campus that helps students enroll in college-level classes while still in high school.
Day was also instrumental in helping Joplin recover from a devastating tornado that hit the community in 2011, setting up a makeshift counseling office at a nearby mall, guiding students through summer programs, applying to college, and getting grants.
As a finalist, Day wins $5,000 that will be evenly split between her and her school. The grand prize winner qualifies for $10,000 evenly split.