Family first. That’s registrar Theresa Vondra’s guiding life motto.

“My parents had me at 40 and 42, and they were older than most of my friends’ parents and they worked full time,” Vondra said. “Dad was a military man, we didn’t see him much, he was constantly working. He left every day at 5am and he didn’t get home until 7pm. He missed all the crucial points or events of us growing up. Mom was at all of them. My mom didn’t work outside of the home until I was in high school.”

Theresa Vondra won the paraprofessional of the year award in the 2017-18 school year.

While Vondra didn’t dream of being a high school registrar, she said she enjoys the career because it gives her more time to spend with her family.

“I didn’t want to put my kids in daycare until 6 or 7 p.m. every night,” Vondra said. “I wanted more time with family. So, I spent a year at Greenfield Elementary School making copies. Then I got promoted and spent five years working as the registrar attendance secretary.”

After her job at Greenfield, Vondra moved to Chisholm, another school that her children would soon be attending.

“My husband and I decided we wanted to be there for the milestones for our kids,” Vondra said. “We decided my work would be in the public-school system, so I could spend more time with my family.”

Vondra said that ever since she took a job in the school district, she’s been able to see the key points of her children growing up.

“I think the first day of school is huge, to be able to take your kid and meet with teachers and interact with them,” Vondra said. “I think lots of parents don’t get that opportunity, and it’s important.”

Vondra has always taught her kids that education is very important.

“We instilled a good belief system in our kids with what they need to work for,” Vondra said. “We don’t want them to put off their education for another day that may not happen.”

Vondra’s goal in moving to a job in the school system overall was to spend more time with her kids–a key point in her life.

“They are paramount,” Vondra said. “When we had kids, we knew that they would be the most important people in our life. We made the decision to bring them into the world, so we needed to make sure that they were successful. Our kids- they’re free to follow their dreams. We’ll support them however we can.”