She’s come a long way from the teenager who had better things to do than sit behind a desk at Kingfisher High School.

Over 35 years later, Tracy Baustert, a 1988 KHS graduate, inspires students at her alma mater to follow their dreams and overcome challenges and obstacles before them.

Serving as the school’s freshmen and sophomore school counselor for the past four years, Baustert is a perfect example of fortitude and inspiration to follow your passion no matter where you are on life’s journey.

Having earned a bachelor’s in sociology and family studies after high school, Baustert spent most of her career working with youth and families.

She dedicated many years working with Youth and Family Services in Canadian County and served as a child abuse investigator for the state Department of Human Services in Kingfi sher, Blaine and Canadian counties.

Shortly before Baustert reached the age of 50, she decided it was time to pursue a goal she had held for many years.

With a desire to serve students, Baustert returned to school in the evenings to complete her master’s of education so she could become a school counselor.

“I wanted to work in a school setting because I felt like kids need adults who believe in them and to be able to build those relationships,” Baustert said.

Although teachers often serve as mentors to their students, Baustert said, they are bombarded with many responsibilities and can’t always keep an eye on every kid in the building.

“So I wanted to be able to be here for those kids that need that extra help,” she added.

But not only did Baustert start on a whole new journey as a school counselor when many her age are looking forward to retirement.

While obtaining her master’s of education from the University of Central Oklahoma, Baustert added classes which would qualify her to pursue becoming a licensed professional counselor.

Not an easy task, once she completed those classes in 2020, Baustert had to pass her professional counseling exams, then complete 3,000 hours of supervised counseling experience (all while working a full-time job), then apply for full licensure.

After five years of dedication and hard work, Baustert earned her licensed professional counselor certification in February.

She now uses those skills to meet the needs not only of her students at KHS, but also provides mental health counseling to clients four evenings a week in El Reno and Kingfisher.

With an ever-increasing need for mental health services, Baustert said she has seen the growing need and that’s why she has dedicated so much of her time to trying to meet those needs.

“We have seen an increase in anxiety and depression in kids and having a knowledge of mental health issues has really helped me in this position (as a school counselor),” Baustert said.

She estimates that about 35 percent of the KPS student body from kindergarten through 12th grade are dealing with some type of mental health issues.

This generation has been called “the anxious generation,” Baustert said, and technology and social media play a significant role in that.

“When I was in school I wasn’t faced every day with everybody (seemingly) doing better than me,” she added.

Bullying can also be an issue at school, she said, but it now continues outside of school through constant communication of social media and other technology.

Building her life around youth, Baustert said she’s always had a passion for helping young people.

“I had a great childhood, so I was very fortunate, but I remember seeing people who didn’t have that,” Baustert said.

“So I thought what can I do and that is what led me.”

Baustert works alongside Paula Leffingwell, who serves as the junior and senior classes’ school counselor.

“Tracy has been a wonderful asset to Kingfisher High School and now that she’s a licensed professional counselor, she’ll be even more of an asset to our district as a whole,” Leffingwell said.

She grew up and graduated from Kingfisher, she loves Kingfisher and she’ll fight for Kingfisher students, Leffingwell added.

“If you watch her daily like I do, you can see that. With her background and former experience working for DHS, she has an advantage as a school counselor because that job has equipped her with strong security protocols, crisis management skills and emergency response skills, making her well-prepared to ensure a safe and structured environment while working at a school,” she added.

Together they make a great team, Baustert said.

Although they tag-team on many issues, Baustert said she tends to address many of the mental health aspects, while Leffingwell utilizes her extensive knowledge and skills in career and work-readiness to prepare her students for life after graduation.

In agreement, Leffingwell said she and Baustert work really well together.

“Working side by side with her the past four years, I feel like we complement each other well in our workload. She has more training in the mental health aspect of the job than I do, so we do a lot of tag-teaming with our students which benefits everyone,” Leffingwell said.

“I commend her courage, resilience and determination to do both school counseling and professional counseling at the same time. Her commitment to mental health and personal growth makes a meaningful impact in both roles.”

Commenting on her time at KHS as a student, Baustert said she was one of those kids who didn’t like school.

“In high school, I didn’t like being in this building… I had better things to do,” she said.

“A lot of times my mom would drop me off and I would walk in this building and right out the back door. I was one of those kids who had to test the boundaries.”

Ironically, she is now able to use those experiences to help students understand that she knows where they are coming from…and inspire them to fulfill their potential.

Sometimes when parents call her expressing frustrations about their children, Baustert said she expresses to them that as long as the students have someone who cares for them and believes in them, they’ll be fine.

“Sometimes kids just have to test the waters and unfortunately not all of Kingfisher’s kids have that one person (for support),” she said.

“That’s why I like to be that person they can come to and I feel really fortunate that a lot of kids here at school know that they can come see me when they need to.”

Praising the people of Kingfisher, Baustert said, “We have a great community here and the majority of our kids have great support systems and families, but we do have a few that don’t.

“They need that support and I felt led to help them.”

In addition, Baustert said Kingfisher is a great community to work with as a school counselor as many of the local business owners hire students, which helps them develop soft skills and other important traits to succeed in life.

Baustert and Leffingwell also oversee the KHS Jacket Pantry which provides food and hygiene items to any family in need with a student enrolled at Kingfisher Public Schools.

Reflecting on her decision to start on this new path, Baustert said, “If I wouldn’t have started this education journey when I did, then I would still be 55 years old wishing I would have started.”

Even though some days were hard and exhausting, Baustert said she employed the same advice she gives to her students - just keep that goal in front of you and one foot in front of the other.

“Some days you have to have some grit and want,” she tells her students.

Another bit of advice she has for her students who don’t know what they want to do when they grow up is to do something that you can spread your wings a little bit.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do and I was fortunate with a sociology and family studies degree, I was able to do a few different things and I feel like that knowledge has really helped me a lot along the way,” Baustert said.

Encouraging students to explore their options, Baustert said Chisholm Trail Technology Center is also a significant asset to students and the community.

The more you know and the more skills you have, the better off you are in life, Baustert said.

“I’ve loved every one of my jobs and every single one of them has benefited me in this position,” Baustert added.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work for some great people and had some great people that taught me things.”

Baustert and her husband, James, have two sons, Ethan Moeller and Cody Baustert, and a 12-year-old granddaughter, Kinsley, who is a student at Hennessey Public Schools.

With no intention of retiring anytime soon, Baustert said she actually doesn’t see herself ever not working.

Enjoying her new role, Baustert had this advice for anyone wondering if they should pursue their dreams: “If you have something you’re passionate about and you have a dream, it doesn’t matter how old you are…just go for it.”