You may think she’s just another staff member, but Mrs. Litzinger brings a fascinating background to the counseling office, especially in the martial arts. 

Mrs. Litzinger is one of two new counselors joining Mayo High School this year, specifically serving students with last names starting from Ks through Q. As a true Minnesotan, Mrs. Litzinger was born and raised way up north in Thief River Falls. She initially pursued her interest in science, starting college as a biology major at the University of North Dakota. However, her path quickly shifted during her first semester when she took a psychology class. She enjoyed it so much, she immediately changed her major, then chose the path of school counseling because she wanted to help students navigate their futures and offer support during hard times. 

Mrs. Litzinger’s journey into martial arts began in an unexpected way. As she tells it, it wasn’t even her idea: “My best friend’s parents put her in to try to help with her self confidence, but it turned out she was the only girl in the class, so my neighbors came to us, and they’re like, ‘Hmm, what’s another friend that could join and be with her?’ And so that’s how I ended up in Taekwondo.” 

Litzinger excelled quickly, assisting in martial arts classes while still in high school. Her martial arts background even led to her meeting her husband at UND in a comedic series of events. After she moved to North Dakota for college, she ran her own martial arts school  where he came to one of her classes, then disappeared. “We were at UND though, and we ended up bumping into each other shortly afterwards. And then he came back to my Taekwondo class.” Mrs. Litzinger went on to earn her fifth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, traveling to Korea where she earned her second-degree black belt in Hapkido and even trained in the art of the sword. Now, though she’s had to settle down on the martial arts a bit as a wife and mother, she still trains her kids. 

At her family’s martial arts school, Lily is excited to be instructed by her mother and follow in her footsteps.

Brand new to Rochester, Mrs. Litzinger and her family arrived this summer; she’s already noticed that it’s “much warmer” than her hometown, which is an hour from the Canadian border. She’s also excited to try the local restaurants and has recently taken up gardening. One of her new motivations for gardening is very practical: “One of my sons has guinea pigs, and they eat a lot of lettuce. I want to grow some lettuce for them, but also for family cooking.” 

On a beautiful day at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. Mrs. Litzinger and her family had an incredible time – (l-r) Mrs. Litzinger, Colin, Lily, Brady, and Mr. Litzinger. 

Mrs. Litzinger is already loving the school pride at Mayo and is excited to meet many new students this year. If your last name starts with Ks-Q, be sure to stop by the counseling office and introduce yourself.