Congratulations to Citizen of the Week, Tanji Tucker!

Tanji Tucker, the 2025 Fayette County Middle School Counselor of the Year, has spent more than two decades guiding students with care and compassion. As the school counselor at Bennett’s Mill Middle, she provides classroom guidance, mentors students, and leads individual and small group counseling sessions—all centered around helping students make positive choices and learn how to self-regulate.

“Middle school is an age where the emotions are high,” said Tucker. “They’re going to be in a situation where they’re going to be triggered, and they need to know what tool works best for them.”

Tucker’s passion for counseling stems from her own childhood experiences. In 3rd grade, she often cried in class as her family navigated significant transitions—but her school didn’t have a counselor to offer support. That moment stuck with her and shaped her mission to create safe spaces for students in need of emotional care.

Coming from a long line of educators, Tucker’s path into education felt natural. After attending Florida A&M, she gained transformative experiences working with underserved students in Germany and inner-city Chicago, which deepened her commitment to ensuring all students receive the support they need to thrive.

At Bennett’s Mill, she shares the wellness tools that work in her own life—like daily yoga. She even leads a yoga club for girls, encouraging mindfulness, intention-setting, and emotional balance.

“We live in a very busy world, and our kids are in an even busier world than the one we grew up in,” said Tucker. “We need those times to just quiet our mind.”

Do you know a Citizen like Tanji? We’d love for you to nominate them for future Citizen of the Week.

Any person in Fayette or Coweta County can nominate a Fayette or Coweta resident to be featured. To submit, you’ll need between 100 and 500 words about why your nominee deserves the spotlight and a photo of them. Submissions without a photo cannot be accepted. . Fill out the nomination form here:

👉 [https://thecitizen.com/nominate-a-citizen-of-the-week/] (https://thecitizen.com/nominate-a-citizen-of-the-week/)

Each week, one honoree will be featured in The Citizen, helping us all take a moment to appreciate the people who lift up our community with their generosity, grit, and goodwill.

The Citizen of the Week is proudly sponsored by City of Hope® Cancer Center Atlanta, a national leader in cancer research and treatment. With expertise across all cancer types and a commitment to whole-person care, City of Hope recognizes those who strengthen our communities through service, compassion, and resilience. Learn more at cityofhope.org/atlanta.