San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Counselor on a quest to help
Colleagues say she is ‘a beacon for those in need,’ both at school and her church
When Valerie Mendoza gets up in the morning, it’s with one thought: How can I best serve the people I encounter today?
“It’s in my DNA to be a servant-leader,” she said. “I do what is asked of me and what my abilities and gifts can actually contribute.”
Mendoza, the social emotional learning counselor for Gus Garcia University School — an Edgewood Independent School District middle school that has partnered with Texas A&M University-San Antonio — is committed to the pursuit of making counseling accessible for all emotionally troubled and at-risk students before they reach high school age.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Mendoza graduated from Northside Health Careers High School and got her bachelor’s degree at University of the Incarnate Word. Later, she pursued an alternative certification program for teaching and worked at several San Antonio-area charter schools before accepting a position as a science teacher at East Central High School in 2012.
At the same time, Mendoza was pursuing a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from A&M University-San Antonio. She remained at ECHS until 2016, when, just before completing her degree, she was moved to a position as interim counselor at Legacy Middle School — a position she was able to hold with emergency certification. After completing her master’s degree in
2016, she returned to ECHS as a full-fledged school counselor.
In 2019, Mendoza opted not to renew her high school counselor contract with East Central ISD, spending some time traveling to Spain for a friend’s wedding before seeking opportunities.
Meanwhile, Edgewood ISD had started a search to find a counselor to helm a socialemotional wellness program at Gus Garcia.
“The middle school environment is really where we will be able to best influence students,” Mendoza said. “That’s why when this job opened, it was so right — it was meant for me.”
Mendoza said that while she was a high school counselor, she often noticed that students who had made bad choices in middle school were still dealing with the consequences. It was clear to her that middle school is when these bad choices and bad behaviors
really begin — and that early intervention is critical.
“If we have to start in elementary school or middle school to help them be successful, then that’s where we need to go,” Mendoza said. “There’s so much life learning happening here — if we can help guide the choices that they make, they’re going to be good community members, which benefits everyone.”
She got right to work building a robust program at Gus Garcia for providing emotional and academic support for students identified as needing additional services.
In middle school, Mendoza pointed out, students are still learning about independence and building community — and at times fighting with each other and themselves. So she set out to create an atmosphere of self-reflection and self-evaluation.
“Most of the things I do are checking in, counseling students and overseeing our social emotional learning program for our campus,” Mendoza said.
But in the spring of 2020, on-campus learning came to a halt as Gus Garcia administrators scrambled along with the rest of the country to provide virtual learning options for students.
“COVID really just exposed the vulnerabilities in systems that already existed,” Mendoza said. “All the gaps that we kind of knew were there became evident with the technology rollout.”
Mendoza immediately set about turning a section of her
bedroom into a secure and professional office setting to connect with students via their cellphones or computers. She hung up light-blocking tapestry curtains and set up her computer and chair in the hopes that her students would have strong enough Wi-Fi connections to see her — and feel safe talking to her.
And they certainly did, Mendoza said, often calling late into the night. She began implementing quiet hours for nonemergency situations to prioritize her own health and well-being while still caring for student needs.
But, she said, with students cooped up at home during the pandemic, it made a big difference for them to be able to release their anxiety and express their feelings to someone who knew their backgrounds and understood any turbulence in their home lives.
“The hardest thing is to suspend your judgment and just listen,” Mendoza said. “Often kids feel shut down because somebody tells them they’re lying, or that they know better. But they actually have a really insightful thought process of their own.”
She feels that although some students experienced trauma during the pandemic, they are faring much better now that they’ve returned to school in person.
Dr. Christopher Bland, Gus Garcia’s principal and Mendoza’s supervisor, said she is a compassionate counselor who’s focused on the wellbeing of both students and staff.
“She has worked on several projects on campus to include creating socioemotional wellness lessons for teachers to use during our daily mindfulness time,” Bland said.
Ultimately, Bland said, Mendoza is “a beacon for those in need, and in the process she helps others to realize the light within themselves.”
Hilda Knight, a Gus Garcia counselor in Mendoza’s department, said her colleague is tremendously well-versed in her field, and is a practical, committed and kind co-worker and counselor.
“She is a doer, a creator,” while demonstrating empathy in everything she does, Knight said.
Even when she’s off the clock, Mendoza continues to serve the community. She is heavily involved at La Trinidad United Methodist Church, a historic Mexican American church where she is a fourthgeneration attendee.
Her pastor, John Feagins, has known Mendoza since 2013 and has served alongside her in music ministry.
He said that Mendoza’s role at Edgewood ISD places her on the front lines of situations ranging from academic counseling to crisis intervention.
“Valerie’s work helps students living in poverty overcome disadvantages and burdens so they can achieve their full personal and academic potential,” Feagins said.
During the pandemic, Mendoza was one of 13 church members who stepped forward to provide online-only worship.
“This team rehearsed and led two live worship services broadcast on YouTube in Spanish and English for an entire year, while taking extra precautions during the week to protect the others in the team,” Feagins said. “Valerie often arrives to each Tuesday music rehearsal after a stressful day at work (with students).”
Now that the church has reopened to on-site attendance, Mendoza continues to sing at 9 a.m. Sunday services, attends Sunday school and then sings again at 11 a.m., he added.
She also oversees the church’s child and youth safety policies and leads the United Methodist Women unit in the Sewing for Preemies ministry, whose members sew quilts for premature babies in local hospitals’ neonatal intensive care units.
Mendoza said the greatest challenge of leading the women’s unit during the pandemic was that many church members lacked technology access or experience.
“They didn’t have the capabilities to log in; they didn’t have the understanding to work platforms — so I tried to teach who I could and talk them through things,” Mendoza said.
She added that she felt during the pandemic like she was in the center of a storm, watching everyone float chaotically around her — and it gave her peace to be able to provide others with some measure of calm.
The Rev. Tanya Campen, who works alongside Mendoza in a church ministry called Trusted con Confianza, which certifies adults for safe ministry with children, said Mendoza is a driven individual committed to caring for others.
“Her passion and care for people of all ages is a gift to our schools, our churches, and our community,” Campen said. “She lifts up the marginalized and invites team members to pay attention to those who are often excluded or feel silenced. I am grateful for Val’s expertise, perspective and care.”
She noted that Mendoza is passionate about her job as a school counselor and encourages others to be at their best.
“It is so very important for kids and families to know they have someone who is looking out for them, who is there to listen, support and encourage,” Campen said.
Mendoza said that what she loves most about her job is seeing growth in the students, “seeing them change, seeing them feel confident.”