By:  Meredith Geller and Annie Meaney

Renowned in the Westborough community, Donna Goodliffe found her place in the Westborough High School Guidance Department ten years ago. Mrs. Goodliffe is not only known as an approachable faculty member, she is also the mother of two Westborough students. The youngest, Brendan is a freshman, and Brian is a senior at the high school.  However, to the entire community she is a true friend.

Before coming to Westborough, Mrs. Goodliffe explored the work force with American Airlines for nine years after graduating from Assumption College. In her experiences, she traveled to exotic places all over the world, as a member of the company’s President’s Club, which is composed of the most noted workers in the company.

Eventually, Mrs. Goodliffe decided to steer her career in a different direction. Expecting the birth of her first child, she attended graduate school at Boston College as a major in Counseling and Psychology. Upon graduation, Mrs. Goodliffe started to settle down with her husband and her son in the town of Westborough.  Mrs. Goodliffe knew Westborough was right when she learned of the highly noted school systems, the close-knit community, and the positive energy of her new neighborhood.

Soon enough, Mrs. Goodliffe landed her first counseling job ten years ago here at Westborough High School. “Initially,” Mrs. Goodliffe explained, “the faculty was not very cohesive.” Mrs. Goodliffe happily continued on, though, expressing how well the Guidance Department bonds now. Mrs. Goodliffe explained how her job is interesting, as each member of the department is at a different stage in their life, and everyone is supportive of each other.

In terms of her actual job, Mrs. Goodliffe most enjoys being able to work with students, and watching them grow over a four year period. “Even if they’ve messed up before, it’s new starts, new beginnings, and I like that, it’s fun.” Evidently, Mrs. Goodliffe puts loads of compassion into watching her students succeed. What makes this more rewarding to her is how appreciative the kids are of her and her efforts.

Mrs. Goodliffe struggled when asked what she disliked about her job. After some thought, her main dislike was the paperwork and meetings, which take away from spending time with her students. She also felt like when she saw students, she was “borrowing” them from teachers– she wishes she could meet with them on her own time.

In all, Mrs. Goodliffe loves what she does. This is apparent through her compassion and dedication to her students and her job, as well as the radiating smile that is always on her face.