Amanda Bustamante, counselor at Hurshel Antwine Elementary, was recently named the 2019 Texas School Counselor of the Year by the Lone Star State School Counselor Association (LSSSCA).
The School Counselor of the Year Award honors professionals who devote their careers to advocate for students, address their academic and social/emotional development, and college and career readiness.
“I am humbled and grateful for this incredible honor,” Bustamante said. “My calling in life is to be a school counselor, and it is the absolute best profession in the world. I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do every single day.”
Bustamante was selected from four finalists who have created systemic change within the profession through significant leadership, collaboration and advocacy, according to LSSSCA.
To earn the award, Bustamante completed an extensive application process, and was judged by a panel of counseling professionals on multiple criteria, including school counseling innovations, effective school counseling programs, leadership skills, and contributions to student achievement.
Before joining the SISD counseling team in 2014, Bustamante was a math and science teacher at Lujan-Chavez and Sun Ridge Middle School. The longtime educator says she has worked hard to develop an American School Counselor Association (ASCA) based, comprehensive counseling program since becoming a school counselor.
“The most important part of being a school counselor is acting in the best interest of students,” she said. “I strive to make decisions based on what is best for students and advocate for them in all that I do. I am passionate about my profession. I love the kids, faculty, and community that I serve.”
Bustamante will be recognized at the LSSSCA conference in November. She will go on to represent Texas in the American School Counselor Association’s National School Counselor of the Year Awards program. The National School Counselor of the Year will be announced in November and recognized in the spring of 2020.
“We are so proud of Amanda,” said Tammi Mackeben, director of guidance and counseling. “She is a fabulous school counselor and she will represent Team SISD and Texas at the highest level.”
