Latina counselors present Cafecito Con Las Consejeras (Coffee with the Counselors) at National School Counseling Leadership Conference. Next Cafecito is Saturday, March 8th at MDHS

Last week, four of our Latina counselors who have spearheaded innovative outreach targeted toward Spanish-speaking families in our District were honored to present their "Cafecito Con Las Consejeras" (Coffee with the Counselors) model at the National School Counseling Leadership Conference in San Diego on Feb. 25. Angela Ordaz, Marcie Torres, Leidi Arias and Yaretzie Amaya - who are all bilingual in English and Spanish - are excited to share some of their reflections on the experience below, along with support from colleagues who also attended.

Ordaz said the group was incredibly humbled and extremely grateful to be invited to present at the conference by Hatching Results - a consulting company that works with MDUSD and other districts to create data-driven school counseling programs that equitably address the diverse needs of each student and eliminate gaps. The counselors call their outreach "collective heart work," because they are sharing their own cultural heritage from Mexico with MDUSD families, with lived experiences that mirror experiences of our families. "We know our Latino/a communities have big hopes and dreams for their children's journey in our educational systems," Ordaz said. "Our workshop shared our mission to ensure Latino/a families know we are their dream partners and system disruptors." The group explained how they created, grew and sustained their cafecito events. "Our districtwide parent engagement program recognizes the greatness, strengths, and gifts that Latino/a families and students possess," Ordaz said. "We loudly and proudly welcome familias as vital partners in their children's educational journey."

Program participants at the conference were energized to advocate for educational systemic change in their districts, integrate best practices for district wide parent engagement that affirms, centers and supports Latino/a students and familias, Ordaz said. "It brings us so much joy to know that after our presentation other school counselor leaders will carry on with pieces of our blueprint and create their own culturally centered parent engagement models," she said, adding that three counselors expressed interest in doing so.

Torres said the group reflected on the growth and evolution of Cafecito over the past three years, and it was exciting and heartwarming to start their journey bringing a culturally sustaining parent engagement program to MDUSD, and now to present this heart work at a national conference so that it could potentially benefit students across the nation. "We are very grateful for MDUSD championing and supporting this work," she said. "Special Gracias to the familias who have been a part of this journey with us. Without them, there is no Cafecito con las Consejeras."

Amaya said she appreciated having an MDUSD team in the audience, but was also happy to have very engaging counselors and leaders from other districts in attendance, many of whom were Latino. "They understood our jokes and cultural references," she said. "It was also very beautiful that we got to share with the audience the testimonies from our awesome families that attend Cafecito Con Las Consejeras. Their voices were very heartwarming to hear. The audience got a glimpse of how special they are and were able to understand that simply building a connection with families goes a long way."

Arias said presenting with her fellow Consejeras about their collective heartwork to a room of about 50 plus educators was a humbling and fulfilling experience. "Hopefully by sharing our collective heartwork, it will inspire other school counselors to develop their own unique parent engagement model that will help their district parents feel more connected to their schools," she said. 

Mt. Diablo HS College and Career Advisor Erika Ramos, who attended the presentation, said it "ignited a fire to continue to do the work with our families and more as the College and Career Advisor. The model they built was no easy feat, but they do it with effort, grace and love." And MDHS Counselor Mala Datta said, "It was an absolutely uplifting and transformative experience to witness the workshop presented by the Consejeras. Not only did I learn more about their activism within the Latino community to bring advocacy and representation to our Latino families, but their work and dedication is a true labor of love. Their presentation is an excellent template that can be used to help uplift and support various organizations and communities, too. It was a privilege to attend and support such amazing work and advocacy."  

MDUSD's next "Cafecito Con Las Consejeras" (Coffee with the Counselors): A Chat with Latina Counselors, will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 8 in the Mt. Diablo HS Library at 2450 Grant St. in Concord.

Topics will include: Social/Emotional wellness and mental health, positive coping skills, and helpful resources. RSVP here.

For more information, contact Ms. Angela Ordaz at ordaz@mdusd.org or (925) 682-8000 x85671, Ms. Marcie Torres at torresmm@mdusd.org or (925) 682-8000 x6418, Ms. Yaretzie Amaya at amayay@mdusd.org or (925) 682-4030 x3414,  or Ms. Leidi Arias at ariasl@mdusd.org or (925) 682-4030 x3406.  Hablamos Español.