EDUCATION

• College Counseling Certification (CCC), UCLA
• B.S., Utah State University

AWARDS, HONORS & MEMBERSHIPS

• Member of National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) 2018 convention committee
• Member of the Salt Lake City Arts Council
• Member of Utah Teachers Accreditation State Board
• 2022 RMACAC Roger H. Campbell Award

Jeanette Sawaya has been a member of Judge Memorial’s staff and faculty for over 34 years. She is currently Director of College Counseling.

“Working with students and challenging them to be their best,” is Ms. Sawaya's favorite part of counseling. In working closely with high school students, she recognizes that each student's path will be filled with moments of success and moments of defeat. The saying, “You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf” from Jon Kabat-Zinn, is a source of motivation that she tries to impart to her students, encouraging them to learn from their mistakes, prepare for conflicts, and embrace life's challenges.

In her spare time, Ms. Sawaya enjoys hiking, reading, and photography. She finds inspiration from moments of mindfulness. If she wasn't in her current profession, Ms. Sawaya would love to have been a professional ice skater.

American Buddhist nun and author, Pema Chödron, is one of Ms. Saway's role-models. Although Chödron has many inspirational quotes, one of Ms. Sawya's favorites is: 

“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.”