CSUSB Alumna Yuridia Nava Named 2017 School Counselor of the Year Finalist

SAN BERNARDINO>> "Incredible" The word came up often when Yuridia Nava, a school counselor at Riverside Polytechnic High School and graduate of Cal State San Bernardino, talked about her visit to the White House when she met Former First Lady Michelle Obama on the day she gave her last public speech as First Lady. Nava said that it was also incredible that she was one of five high school counselors selected out of the entire United States to be a finalist in the ASCA 2017 School Counselor of the Year award — the reason she went to Washington, D.C., Jan. 4-6 to meet Obama at the White House and to be honored at a gala celebration. “This award means so much to me on so many levels,” Nava said, reflecting on the honor a couple weeks afterward. “First of all, I want my students to know they can accomplish anything, even if they were not born in this country. I am an immigrant from Mexico, and for me I am living the American Dream. As a woman, this means a lot, too, since mostly males dominate leadership roles. School counselors are also leaders since we provide comprehensive data and informed services that impact student achievement. Lastly, as a Latina, this award means a lot for my community." The ASCA School Counselor of the Year award honors the professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates for the nation’s students and addressing their academic and social/emotional development and college and career readiness. The School Counselor of the Year finalists were judged on creative school counseling innovations, effective school counseling programs, leadership skills and contributions to student advancement. “When our high school found out that we were going to be able to hire an additional counselor, we all knew it had to be Yuri,” said Rachel Bramlett, assistant principal at Riverside Poly. “We knew that Yuri would be the one to help us take our program to the next level due to her experience with college and career counseling, promoting success with students whose first language is not English, and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) process. She represents everything that is right with school counseling.” In her remarks at the Reach Higher and School Counselor of the Year White House reception on Jan. 6, Obama said more students than ever before were enrolling in college and that school counselors played a critical role in that. “In fact, a recent study showed that students who met with a school counselor to talk about financial aid or college were three times more likely to attend college,” Obama said. “And they were seven times more likely to apply for financial aid." Recalling the White House visit, Nava said “This has been such an amazing experience to have our First Lady of the United States really shed light on the work that we do, and the impact that we have on students in the three domains that we work with students: academics, college and career, as well as socially-emotionally. For school counselors, it’s rewarding to be recognized for the work that we do, which sometimes goes unappreciated. Our roles have changed so much, and we advocate for all students, which promotes a safe and inclusive environment on any campus.” As for meeting the former First Lady, she said, “Michelle Obama is just an incredible, inspiring individual who really focuses on education. There was a lot of excitement in the room. You could definitely feel high emotion for everyone, including the First Lady. She was a little bit teary-eyed when she came to meet us before we went on stage. And once we were on stage, just the energy in the room from everyone cheering us on for the work that we do was amazing. This is the first time that school counselors were given the same professional parity as teachers. We both work together to impact students, so this recognition has been long overdue.” One important element in the work that Nava does now is the educational foundation she built as a student at Cal State San Bernardino. She earned two undergraduate degrees in June 2008, one in psychology and the other in human development, life-span development track. “My education at Cal State San Bernardino has been an incredible foundation for me to be able to get to this level,” Nava said. “I chose to go to Cal State San Bernardino out of other acceptances because of the unique program that they have with their dual bachelor’s degree. I work every day with students needing anything from mental health counseling to academics, college and career guidance. CSUSB gave me a strong foundation and systemic approach to counseling individuals with their dual bachelor’s program.” She said her education at CSUSB — especially the classes where she gained research experience and learned to work with statistics — helped prepare her for graduate school at the University of Redlands and as she works on her doctorate at La Sierra University. “I was the only student in my cohort to publish research while in my master’s program at the University of Redlands. I gained my strong research skills from CSUSB,” Nava said. “Out of all the students in my program, I honestly felt so prepared because of the experience I had at Cal State San Bernardino.” She also said there is an aspect of being an alumna of Cal State San Bernardino — a Coyote pride — that she shares with her students. “Being a Coyote has been an incredible honor, because I think no one can underestimate what happens at Cal State San Bernardino, and the value of the education that we get,” Nava said. “It’s been really great to connect with my students who are thinking about going to a university and want to go to Cal State San Bernardino, and to share my story with them and my experience, that I was able to obtain a great education. So it’s quite an honor to say that I’m a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino.” Terri Tchorzynski, from the Calhoun Area Career Center in Battle Creek, Mich., was given the ASCA top award, and was honored with Nava; Jennifer Adams, Carolina Springs Middle School, Lexington, S.C.; Rebecca Lallier, Dothan Brook School, White River Junction, Vt.; and Dawn Mann, Harrison High School, Kennesaw, Ga.