Tracy Prater is a college and career specialist at Spain Park High School.
Q: What inspired you to work in education?
A: I kind of fell in love with it when I was on the postsecondary side of college admissions. I worked as a student worker in the admissions office at my university when I was an undergrad and kind of fell in love with that work. I worked at three different public universities, and the opportunity came to help students on what we call the other side of the desk, so I jumped at that. And I just love helping people.
Q: What’s something great about your school?
A: I love the sense of community at Spain Park High School. Faculty and staff feel like family, and it just kind of trickles down to the kids. Everybody’s so supportive, and you instantly feel that community the second you start working here or going to school here. I love it.
Q: Tell us something about you that people might not know.
A: I have done a brief stint as an amateur stand-up comedian — very amateur, open mic amateur. I’m also a musician, and I actually spent some time in the ministry before I went into education.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
A: There’s a type of person that I don’t think gets any fulfillment from anything other than a service profession, I think, and that’s just being able to serve others and be a help to others is, you know, that’s, that’s what I’m all about. I consider myself lucky to come to work every day.
