President's Letter: Growth in Times of Challenge

Greetings, CSCA members!

I hope that this message finds you in a good place, wrapping up another school year with your students and schools. It is bittersweet for me as this is my last newsletter message to you as president of CSCA. It has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve CSCA as president this year and I plan to continue all the great work that CSCA does for counselors across Colorado as I transition to past-president and beyond.

Part of this month’s CSCA newsletter is about stretching our comfort zones in our roles as school counselors and about advocating for our profession. I encourage each of you to consider stretching your own personal comfort zone by becoming a state leader in school counseling and participating on the CSCA Board. Being part of a state organization will strengthen your advocacy skills through reaching counselors and other stakeholders across the state. This is done through a variety of opportunities such as professional development at the annual CSCA Conference, legislative committee work, mentoring other school counselors through our mentoring program and growing your own leadership development at our CSCA Leadership Development Institute each summer. If you are interested in participating on the CSCA Board, please consider becoming an Emerging Leader – learn more about Emerging Leaders and how to apply.

This year has had many challenges to say the least. We have all faced a multitude of different issues and crises like we have never faced before. We are handling all that we have been asked to handle and then some. We are being asked to be leaders in our buildings in many different ways and we are stretching ourselves every day to be the best we can be for the students we care for. My message for each of you is that you are all amazing, wonderful superheroes in your buildings. You are quite literally the heart of education, and I am recognizing all the work and sacrifices you have all made for the sake of your students. We have a very noble profession and it is an honor to be counted among the thousands of school counselors in this state who are doing the work necessary to help our students succeed.

I hope you finish out the rest of your school year strong and have a very restful, reflective and amazing summer break!

Contact Jennifer Quintana, CSCA president, at president@coloradoschoolcounselor.org.