Harder Congratulates Central Valley Counselor Alma Lopez for Winning 2022 School Counselor of the Year Award
Alma Lopez, Livingston Union School District school counseling coordinator and Ripon native, is the first Latina to win School Counselor of the Year
WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Josh Harder congratulated Alma Lopez, Livingston Union School District's school counseling coordinator and Ripon native, for winning the 2022 School Counselor of the Year Award. She is the first Latina and the first Californian to win the award. Read the full announcement from the American School Counselor Association online here.
"This week I was incredibly proud to personally congratulate Alma Lopez for winning the 2022 School Counselor of the Year Award," said Rep. Harder. "As the first Latina and the first Californian to win the award, Alma has shown us all the power of compassionate, determined, student-focused leadership. We know our students need us right now, and we're incredibly lucky to have counselors like Alma in our community leading the way."
"The deep commitment she has to her community, her relentless focus on providing equitable outcomes for her students and her implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program were evident throughout her application and interview process," said Valerie Hardy, a member of the independent judging panel that selects the School Counselor of the Year finalists and winner of the award. "As a first-generation college attendee, Ms. Lopez serves as an inspiration for her students, her community and the profession."
Throughout the pandemic Rep. Harder has been laser focused on keeping Valley schools open and delivering students the mental and physical health care they need. This Congress, he has secured funding to expand mental health programming into 17 school districts and is pushing to bring more Spanish speaking health care workers directly to Valley students. Last month, he visited a school-based health center to hear from teachers and medical professionals on how our students are doing and what more the federal government can bring to the Central Valley. He also recently penned an op-ed focused on mental health in the Central Valley.
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