She’s one of the most respected and loved individuals at our school. And now North Atlanta will have to adjust to the coming reality that Mikala Bush, College and Career Center Adviser, will end her two-year stint at North Atlanta at the conclusion of this school year.

She has helped an innumerable number of students with not just their decisions related to college, but also with invaluable personal advice. During her tenure the center has been an inviting place and she said this has been by design. “It’s always been my vision to make this room a place where students have been able to feel safe and to talk freely,” she said.

By design, Bush’s position as center director is a two-year assignment. The position is actually funded by outside funds that come from Achieve Atlanta and the Woodruff Foundation. Bush came to North Atlanta after finishing up a degree in psychology from the University of Georgia. She will now leave the school to return to academia, in this case graduate school at Georgia State University to pursue a master’s degree in Social Foundations of Education.

After graduate school is completed, she said she envisions a career for herself working the Department of Education. Another possible dream in her future is starting a non-profit that focuses on diversity bias in educational settings.

Consistent with what she’s been doing here all along, Bush has many kernels of wisdom to impart to both graduating seniors. “Seniors should leave no opportunity unexplored because you don’t know when the next opportunity will come,” she said.

For those with more years in school, she offered equally sage counsel. “Go to class and pay attention because you are here for a reason,” she said. “It’s to prepare yourself for a bright future but you have to put in the work.”

Bush said her favorite thing about North Atlanta has been getting to know students and watching them grow. In reflecting on her North Atlanta years, she has only fond memories. “There’s always so much to celebrate here,” she said. “I love seeing kids getting into colleges and embracing their futures. I’ve had a front-row seat on student success and that’s been so exciting.”

While here, she’s dispensed wisdom, support and her ever-present encouraging smile. It’s fair to say that the College and Career Center won’t be the same without Mikala Bush.