If what you are looking for is a little sense of direction, let Matt Liberatore be your guide

A handful of new staff members have joined LZHS this year, which includes Matt Liberatore. Liberatore has joined the team of counselors this year, and will be handling everything from mapping out 4 year high school plans to registering students for college.

“I want to make students think twice about their future, even more than twice if I can,” Liberatore said. “I want to open their eyes to all opportunities and possibilities.”

Before coming to Lake Zurich, Liberatore managed the business side of his parents’ electrical contracting company, but when he realized that he could not be behind a desk all day, Liberatore started exploring his passions until he found what he felt to be perfect for him: school counseling.

“I don’t think there is one person I know who loves their job as much as I do,” Liberatore said. “I am pumped about leaving for work every single morning.”

Liberatore received his Master’s Degree in school counseling from Saint Xavier University and is also a licensed profession counselor. Although Liberatore’s assigned student caseload is last names Lar-Nof, he wishes to welcome all students to come and meet with him for counseling or guidance.

“Students should feel free to meet with me about school and college planning or even social and environmental issues. If a student is having a hard time with something, I went them to be able to come and talk to me so I can help them figure things out so they can be a better student,” Liberatore said.

Liberatore wishes to stress to students the importance of being goal oriented, something that Liberatore himself has practiced in many ways. Liberatore always had the goal of going on a humanitarian trip until one day he finally decided to do something about it. In 2007 Liberatore began dedicating his time and passion to a branch of Habitat for Humanity called the Habitat Global Village Program. Through this program, Liberatore has traveled around the world to places such as Guatemala, Chile, India, and Hungary volunteering to help build houses for impoverished families. Since joining the program, Liberatore has been asked to be one of the leaders for the program and is planning on leading a trip to Kenya next summer.

“Being a part of this program is a great way to see the world and cultures in a different way,” Liberatore said. “My goal is to build a house in all six continents before I’m forty.”

Pursuing passions is something Liberatore is not afraid to do. Liberatore was drawn to school counseling so he could do what he loves, which he believes is the most important in life. The strong sense of community, unity, and solidarity in District 95 is what drew him to LZHS.

“What makes my job so great is that every single person who walks through my door has a completely different and unique future and I get to help them find their passion,” Liberatore said.  “I want the students I counsel to become the people who love their jobs as much as I love mine.”

So far, Liberatore has already been impressed by how “warm and welcoming” LZHS is. He feels the students he has seen are eager, self-motivated, and curious learners.

“The more that students want to learn and know, the more I want to provide,” Liberatore said. “I want to help guide students in any way that I can. Everyone has to have a plan of where they want to go; I want to help students find what they need to do to make that happen.”