Chester E. Jordan counselor is 1 of 5 finalists in ASCA Counselor of Year program
The Socorro Independent School District is proud to announce that a counselor from Chester E. Jordan Elementary has been named a national finalist in the American School Counselor Association 2025 School Counselor of the Year awards program.
Rosa I. Rodriguez, who has been a school counselor for 11 years, is one of five finalists named for the national award that honors exemplary school counseling professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates for the nation’s students.
Rodriguez was surprised with a phone call from an ASCA representative giving her the news that she had been chosen as a top five finalist out of counselors representing the U.S. states/territories.
“I just can’t believe it. I guess because you do a job and you feel like you are doing a great job, but you just don’t know what other people are doing,” Rodriguez said about being chosen as a finalist among the many other nominees. “I never realized that what I was doing would be enough. To know that I am doing great things for kids, and they are recognizing it, that means the world to me.”
In May, Rodriguez won the Lone Star State School Counselor Association 2024 Texas School Counselor of the Year, which put her in the running for the national honor. ASCA will announce the 2025 School Counselor the Year in late fall, according to the ASCA press release. Nominations for the School Counselor of the Year awards program were submitted by ASCA-affiliated state/territory school counselor associations.
“Ms. Rodriguez is an outstanding school counselor, and we are fortunate to have such a passionate and dedicated professional at Chester E. Jordan and in Socorro ISD making a difference for our students every day,” said SISD Interim Superintendent James Vasquez. “With the excellent work that she has achieved for many years as a counselor and the positive impact she has made at her campus, the honor is well deserved. I am proud that she is representing her school, the district, and the entire state of Texas. We are all in to cheer her on at the next level of the awards program.”
The ASCA School Counselor of the Year program recognizes the powerful work being accomplished by exceptional school counselors and highlights the profession that is vital to students’ academic success.
Rodriguez said her two main focuses are to ensure Social and Emotional Learning is strong at her campus and she adequately manages her time to fulfill her duties as a successful school counselor. She credits her supportive and collaborative leadership team on campus and their great working relationship which has allowed for her to contribute to the achievement of the school in all aspects, including academics, behavior and attendance.
“I am truly blessed to work with an incredible leadership team,” she said. “They are always the first ones to jump in to get things done. I learn from them as well and they inspire me to keep doing a great job because they all work to do good by the students. Their main goal, our main goal is to be sure what we do is going to benefit the kids.”
With so many incredible counselors in SISD, the city and the state, Rodriguez said she is truly honored to be able to represent them. She said counseling work is truly a team effort and the recognition is “not a me award, it is a we award.” The most important thing is the support and care that is provided to the students, she said.
“One of the biggest things I always want to make sure that the kids know is that they are loved,” Rodriguez said. “I tell them, ‘Always, remember, your counselor loves you.’ No matter what, I want them to know that there is always going to be someone who gives them unconditional love.”
An in-person celebration for the ASCA finalists is planned in Washington D.C., Jan. 30, 2025. The School Counselor of the Year and finalists will be celebrated in a series of virtual events during National School Counseling Week, Feb. 3-7, 2025.