An Interview with Zaida Mesa, 2018 FSCA School Counselor Advocate: District Leader
By: Brittany Morgado, 2018-2019 Emerging Leader
How do you see the role of the school counselor impacting the students in your district?
The role of the school counselor impacts all students in our district removing barriers to academics, social-emotional and fuels their career and post-secondary planning. Our school counselors impact our students academically by influencing and supporting their study skills, time management skills and motivating them to be the best version of themselves. School counselors in Miami-Dade County Public Schools are the Social Emotional Leaders in their building. They prepare our students to be responsible and compassionate citizens in today’s society by promoting our Values Matter Miami campaign. School counselors provide classroom lessons that highlight our district’s nine core values. These values are citizenship, cooperation, fairness, honesty, integrity, kindness, the pursuit of excellence, respect and responsibility. In addition, school counselors are equipped with the training and expertise to support all students’ mental health. Our school counselors help students find their passion and support their post-secondary planning by taking interest inventories and guiding them through postsecondary planning utilizing MyCareerShines.
How do you best utilize the school counselors in your district?
School counselors in Miami-Dade County Public Schools are armed with tools, up-to-date technology, and quality professional development to support all students socially, emotionally and remove barriers to their academic success. They are the social-emotional and mental health experts and leaders in their schools and our district.
What changes need to be made in your district to best utilize the role of school counselors?
Our district supports the role of school counselors and the importance of counselors being available to counsel at all times. As a district, we must continue to focus on supporting school counselors so that they spend maximum time on direct services to students and find ways to minimize administrative and proctoring duties.
In what way do you support your school counselors so they can be the front-line mental health leaders in your school?
The Division of Student Services provides valuable professional development that includes topics in mental health to all school counselors in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In addition, we have a crisis helpline with a crisis team ready to provide consultation for school site counselors. Our District also has a department of Mental Health that provides Youth Mental Health training, professional development, and support to all school site mental health professionals including counselors. Miami-Dade County Public Schools has trained Youth Mental Health First Aid trainers including myself to train all of their faculty and staff including bus drivers to become Mental Health First Aiders.
What advice would you offer to new school counselors?
The role of a school counselor is a very demanding one. It is imperative that we belong to our professional organizations (ASCA, FSCA, and local chapters) to keep ourselves current by attending their conferences, reading their journals and publications. We must be lifelong learners. When we do this, we are not only providing our students with up-to-date information and quality support, but we are continuously fueling the fire within us.
How can school counselors advocate for their role in their schools and district?
Today, school counselors can utilize social media as their platform to advocate for their role in their school and district. Showcasing the way school counselors are impacting students at their school via social media is a good way to get the attention of the district and advocate for the role of school counselors. Also, the use of needs assessments to communicate students’ needs and demonstrate how students are different as a result of what counselors do is very impactful. Cultivating a good administrator and school counselor relationship is also advocacy. The message is louder when administrators see the value and the impact of school counselors and join us in advocating for the role of school counselors.
What excites you about school counseling today?
The amazing work that our professional organizations and district are doing when promoting the American School Counselor Association’s National Model and Data-Driven School Counseling. I am also very excited about the passion and dedication that is evident in our school counselors work each and every day.
What do you envision for the future of school counseling?
I envision school counselors utilizing data to drive their everyday work and taking their seat at the table as an essential part of their school’s leadership team. I also envision a future where school counselors are given the opportunity to provide valuable input as administrators are creating and revising their school improvement plans.
Ms. Zaida Mesa is the 2018 School Counselor Advocate: District Leader. The purpose of the School Counselor Advocate: District Leader Award is to recognize an administrator, coordinator, director, or supervisor whose leadership has shown outstanding services and impact in the school counseling field on a local or state level.
Ms. Mesa is a person who has consistently made a significant contribution to the improvement of counseling services in the school setting. She provides district-level support for the high school counselors employed in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She is described as an extraordinary leader who supports, not only for her high school counselor colleagues but all the school counselors in the district.
Her leadership and ability to work collaboratively has enhanced her district’s partnership with Florida International University. She is assisting in the development of and providing valuable professional development opportunities for counselors that focus on the implementation of a data-driven comprehensive school counseling program that aligns with the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) National Model. Ms. Mesa’s thirst for knowledge and need to always be up to date with topics relevant to her profession is a strength of hers. She keeps herself well informed on current trends and legislation relevant to the professional counseling world. She takes pride in sharing her passion and encouraging the continual development of other school counseling professionals. Congratulations to Zaida Mesa the 2018 School Counselor Advocate: District Leader.
