“We are here and available for any kid who walks through the door.”
Counselor Joshua Lopez just wants to help students.
He gets that opportunity every day at Legacy of Educational Excellence (LEE) High School.
“I get to help kids who sometimes have no help. There’s a lot more they need other than academics. They need mentors, they need supportive people who are going to listen to them and then they need guidance. Being that supportive adult in their life is sometimes all they need.”
It’s more than a job for Lopez -- it’s a calling.
He’s one of eight counselors serving the students at LEE, North East School of the Arts (NESA) and STEM High School. It truly is a team effort to make sure our students have someone to turn to in their time of need.
“We help each other out. If a student walks in and their assigned counselor isn’t available at that moment, someone else will jump in and help. We all have to play a role in that.”
That idea of teamwork and helping others is a message Lopez offers students daily.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s support out there. Use your supports. Use your help. Nobody does this alone.”
Lopez adds that it’s not just the LEE counseling team that makes a difference. It’s the entire community – it’s the parents -- that help him and the other counselors really make an impact on the needs of the students.
“The more involved the parents are -- it helps a lot. Sometimes that makes all the difference. The better the relationship is with the kid and the parents, the better the outcome is.”
And that’s Lopez’s goal: finding the best outcome for the students who show up to his office. He understands he’s preparing kids for life outside the classroom. And he wants to make sure they have all the tools they need to succeed.
“We are planting seeds in kids we may never see again. We are trying to give them guidance, information, and a base of support so they can go on and do something more. It’s a busy job, but it’s rewarding.”
Feb. 3-7 is National School Counseling Week. Please join us in celebrating all our counselors do for our students and families.
If you want to let an NEISD counselor know how much they mean to you, we’ve made it easy to send them a Staff Shout Out!
