[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 18 (Monday, February 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E80-E81]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 1, 2021

  Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the tireless work of 
school counselors across the country and in the 38th district of 
California that I am honored to represent. These public servants help 
develop well-rounded students by guiding them through their academic, 
social-emotional, and career development.
  Marla Diaz, a counselor at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, 
California, is exactly the type of champion students need. Marla has 
been a counselor since 2001 and has been instrumental in the lives of 
the students she works with in the school.
  Not only does Marla know all the students in her caseload of 400 but 
she also has created workshops and presentations for students and 
parents on the programs available at the school. Her leadership within 
the Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences and Engineering programs 
has helped students learn and apply a hands-on approach to solving and 
designing

[[Page E81]]

solutions to health and engineering challenges, respectively. With her 
support, she has helped many students learn and find opportunities 
after high school. Her office is not only filled with her warmth but 
with pictures of former students, each one a life she has impacted and 
inspired. She is even known to have former students and families reach 
out for her guidance.
  Counselors like Marla, provide so much for our students. Not only do 
they help with career and college choices, but they are often the ones 
who help students cope with serious and common challenges of growing 
up, including peer pressure, bullying, mental health issues, trauma, 
disciplinary problems, and more. Unfortunately, the average student-
counselor-ratio is 430-to-1 nationally which is almost double the 
American School Counselor Association recommended ratio of 250-to-1. 
Our students deserve to have the support of school counselors, and 
school counselors deserve our support.
  That is why I am proud to introduce a resolution to designate the 
week of February I, 2021, through February 5, 2021, as National School 
Counseling Week. I ask that all Members join me in recognizing the 
extraordinary work and dedication our school counselors have done to 
better the lives of young students.

                          ____________________