News

After 31 Years of Calling Andover Home, Maggie Jackson to Retire to Newburyport

When Maggie Jackson, Associate Director of Graham House and Instructor in Psychology, first stepped onto the Andover campus in 1983, she expected to stay at her job for no more than five years. 31 years later, Jackson finally looks to move onto to the next chapter of her life in Newburyport, Mass.

Jackson did not expect that Andover’s “well-to-do” students would even need counseling when she first took her job as a Graham House Counselor.

“This [job] was not so insignificant as I thought it would be. Over the years, [students] have had more different challenges in [their] lives… so here I am 31 years later,” Jackson said.

As a founding member of the Brace Center for Gender Studies, Jackson took a special interest in the role of women on campus throughout her time at Andover.

“In the 80s, it was a very, very different school for women and girls… To see the evolution of women’s and girls’ positions on campus has been great, though I think there’s a lot more work to do on gender issues here at school, so I hope there are other standard bearers who are ready to stand up and make some noise,” said Jackson.

In addition to the advances made by the Andover community in terms of gender, Jackson noted the immense changes the school has gone through in other aspects as well.

“When I first came here, there was no diversity to speak of. The faculty [and] the student body became more diverse…. [and] a lot of active recruiting of economic, ethnic, racial, geographical diversity increased. The school just became a lot more interesting place and more reflective of the world at large,” said Jackson.

Jackson said that Andover truly became a home for her and her family.

“It’s been a really nice place to raise my daughter and to have a family here… It’s been a very nice place not only to work but just to be. I appreciate all the opportunities that I’ve had here that I wouldn’t have had in other places,” said Jackson.

Andover has presented Jackson another valuable gift: her colleagues in Graham House, two of whom she has been working with for 29 years.

Max Alovisetti, Director of Graham House and Instructor and Chair in Psychology, said, “What I recall most over these many years is that no matter what the issue, difficulty or pressure she was under, [Jackson] would always be calm, clear and comforting but, at the same time, also be clear and firm. She was rock steady and responded to me and her colleagues and counselees with a voice that communicated: ‘I hear you, and it will be all right.’”

Even as Jackson moves forward from Andover, she has countless plans in mind to keep herself active. First and foremost, she hopes to continue sharing her talent and experience as a counselor, whether that entails working as a consultant at another boarding school or volunteering at a women’s shelter.

“It would be nice to keep my brain engaged and interacting with people. It’s a challenge to put some things in place that are going to mean something to you,” said Jackson.

Having been a professional flutist for 10 years before arriving at Andover, Jackson also looks to return to the world of music by joining local choir groups in Newburyport. She will also devote part of her time to quiet introversion and meditation.

“Just being able to get more in touch with the spiritual connection to nature and the world without the distractions of a job. The quietness you can get with meditation also opens you up to thinking deep things, and I’m looking forward to having the opportunity and vbrain space to do that,” said Jackson.

Before settling into her new home and a more routine life in Newburyport, Jackson looks forward to a month-long trip to Switzerland, Amsterdam and the United Kingdom with her husband. “[My husband and I] are giving ourselves a present for retiring. This is our gold watch,” she said.