LUVERNE, Ala. (WSFA) - Tamika Gregory started her counseling career years ago with a focus on mental health. She's seen firsthand how cell phones, bullying, and social media continue to impact the next generation.
"I've been a mental health counselor for 24 years," she said. "So, the transition from mental health to high school is different, but they mesh."
Her husband's entire family is from the Luverne area -- many of them graduated from Luverne High. With an extensive background in counseling, when she heard the former high school counselor was retiring, she knew she had to apply.
"My husband graduated from here, my in-laws graduated from here -- so it's pretty much like a legacy for my children," Gregory said. "When I heard my friend, Heather Sanders, was retiring, I applied for the job. It was perfect timing because my youngest daughter was just starting junior high."
Now, she's at the high school working with 7th through 12th graders, using her education and life experiences to support students. Recently, she's faced her own struggles and has been using her grief and resilience to encourage others.
"My mother passed in March. March 16, as a matter of fact, from brain and lung cancer. And then my husband was diagnosed two months after I buried my mom, at the end of May, and he was diagnosed with prostate cancer," she said. "It's just been a roller coaster. But we've still been trying to stay consistent -- to be here for these kids, to be here for the staff."
That means helping with college applications, schedules, and more. Oftentimes, it's just a simple conversation that can make all the difference.
"I see everything from self-harm to behavioral issues to court and juvenile issues, academic issues," she said. "But the main thing that I can say is that a lot of my babies just come to say good morning -- and that lets me know that I've done something to impact a child's life."
"If I could say anything about Luverne, I would say that we are small in number, but very big in heart," she said.