A moment early in her teaching career changed everything for Yvonne Culver.

Faced with a student struggling through disturbing nightmares, Culver realized she needed more tools to truly help. “I don’t have the skills,” she recalled thinking at the time. That realization led her to earn her counseling certification, and launched a career devoted to student wellness.

Culver will retire at the end of the month after 28 years with Akron Public Schools and a 33-year career in education.

She began as a Language Arts teacher, worked in mental health services at Community Support Services, and later joined APS as a counselor at Ellet CLC. She went on to become the founding counselor at Akron Early College, helping build the school’s culture from the ground up.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “Creating the traditions and expectations.”

Some of the work was difficult. Culver recalls telling a parent his son showed signs of schizophrenia, a diagnosis that changed the family’s life. Because it was caught early, the student received treatment and today lives a healthy, successful adult life.

Culver later moved into district leadership and now serves as director of school counseling and student wellness, supervising 64 counselors and helping expand college and career access across APS. In May, she was named Administrator of the Year for School Counseling and Student Wellness.

Colleagues say Culver’s guidance and compassion made a lasting impact.

“She always knows the right advice to give,” said Angela Carter, APS executive director of school leadership.

As she looks toward retirement, Culver hopes to write books for teens and parents and possibly do consulting work. What she’ll miss most are the students.

“We have wonderful students,” she said. “You have to meet kids where they are.”

Her career echoes a quote she loves from Maya Angelou: People may forget what you did, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.