By Taylor Novella
Editor's note: This is part of a three-part profile in The Branford Buzz about the new administrative assistants to the school principals. Read about Megan Bozzuto here. Read about Beth Jenkins here.
Trisha Simmons makes a lasting impression as Mr. Panagoulis’ latest secretary. Simmons has returned to Branford High School after working at the Board of Education’s office for six years.
She had previously worked at BHS for five years as an administrative assistant in the guidance department and in athletics.
Originally, Simmons started off working for a professional hair products company.
Simmons explains the background of returning to Branford High School is because of the interactions she has with the students. Meeting new people everyday and being able to have different interactions with them attracted her to this job, she said.
Not only that but she enjoys being the “point person” for Panagoulias and all of the interactions he has as part of his job. She likes the fast paced environment that Branford High School provides.
Although Simmons enjoys her job, she is also very dedicated to her family. Throughout her career her job changes reflected her children’s schedules. She stated that her job “had to fit in with raising a family”. Growing with her children’s independence, she was able to work more, and now that they are adults she was more inclined to take this job.
Her three daughters – Paige, April and Kendall – graduated from Branford High School.
Having the opportunity to grow as a person at a new job can be difficult, especially if you didn’t have anyone supporting you throughout the change, but luckily Simmons had not only her family but her prior coworkers rooting for her.
“I had to take what I had and grow it over here,” Simmons said when talking about the skills needed for her job. Her skills have grown throughout the years, and her skill set was easily transferable from her last job to this new one. She has had increased responsibilities throughout her various jobs and has learned new things throughout each as well, she described the biggest differences between this job and her most recent one starting with the amount of people she had to deal with.
