National School Counselor Fellows
National School Counselor Fellows agree to make a two-year fellowship commitment, attend monthly fellow meetings, participate peer consultation, and dedicate time to research and scholarship, leadership development, and advocacy projects.
Meet Our Fellows
2023-2025 Fellows
Roberto Aguilar (OREGON)
Roberto Aguilar is a proud, first-generation, hijo de campesinos, Chicano/Latinx, school counselor from the Portland, Oregon area with over 20 years of experience at Milwaukie HS/Academy of the Arts with the mission of building relationships with students and communities so that they are empowered to create the success they wish to see.
Dr. Liliana Lazaro (CALIFORNIA)
Doctora Liliana Lazaro is a native of Stockton, CA as well as a product of Stockton Unified School District schools. She received a Masters in Educational Counseling in 2019 and has been working in education since 2017. She spent most of her school counseling career at the elementary level. She became the founding elementary school counselor for Oakland Unified in 2020 and has enjoyed working building relationships with her little ones. She received her doctorate in 2022 with a dissertation on Interrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline and her passion to do continues to drive her work as a school counselor.
Gisselle Mandujano Puga (CALIFORNIA)
Gisselle Mandujano is a High School Counselor at Alliance Patti and Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy in South Los Angeles. She is a proud first generation college graduate and received her Masters of Science degree in School Counseling and her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from California State University, Long Beach. Gisselle is a Dr. Patty Diversity Fellow with Ruling Our Experiences (ROX) whose mission is amplifying girls' voices regarding social change, representation, and equity. Gisselle is passionate about supporting scholars by meeting them where they are and advocating for their individual needs. With a strengths based and data driven practice, she believes that social emotional well being can influence scholar’s learning and academic needs.
Elizabeth Mendoza (CALIFORNIA)
Elizabeth Mendoza is a school counselor in the North County San Diego area, and is passionate about holistically supporting her community. She is a first-generation college student and the first in her family to navigate graduate school. For many in her family, higher education was and is still not attainable, so for her, to have been able to jump the hoops of education was a feat. She has dedicated her professional career to supporting a new generation of students to make the best-informed decisions regarding their future careers that will fit their desired life. For students to navigate education successfully, they must feel supported in their academic, career, and social-emotional development, not just by counselors but also by the education team and their surrounding community. She believes that as counselors, we must advocate for all our students to receive that support. She love learning and collaborating with others to improve her practice and, in return, give back to the fantastic community that helped her to reach her goals.
Alicia Oglesby (PENNSYLVANIA)
Alicia Oglesby joins the National School Counselor Fellows community after being a high school counselor at Lower Moreland High School outside of Philadelphia and Director of School & College Counseling at Bishop McNamara in the DC-metro area. Currently a counselor at Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh, Alicia is a graduate of Howard University and a daughter of educators. Alicia began her career in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety before immersing herself fully in secondary education. She is most proud of building relationships with students during a critical time in their young adult lives.
Nwakaego Oriji (TEXAS)
As a transformational visionary, Nwakaego Edordu Oriji served as a professional school counselor for 11 years with a combined experience of 21 years in education. She currently serves as a counselor facilitator in Garland ISD, supporting campus counselors in implementing effective comprehensive school counseling programs. As a teacher on the front lines of education, she recognized the need to educate academically, socially, and emotionally. As a result, she pursued her counseling career to become a change agent in the lives of struggling, disadvantaged scholars. Nwakaego has had the opportunity to implement a comprehensive counseling program that earned the Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas (CREST) award for five years and the Lone Star State Counselor Association (LSSSCA) Bronze award to celebrate the transformative power of an effective counseling program. Additionally, she is the proud recipient of the 2018 Texas School Counselor of the Year distinction awarded by LSSSCA and was also selected as a 2019 American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National School Counselor of the Year Finalist. One of her most valuable assets is her college education. She received her B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Texas and continued her educational journey at Texas A&M Commerce, where she received her M.S. in Counseling.
Fabian Pacheco (CALIFORNIA)
Fabian Pacheco is a first-generation Student of Color. He was born and raised in Boyle Heights, CA. He is actively completing his doctoral degree in the Urban Leadership Program at Claremont Graduate University. Fabian currently serves as a PSA A-G counselor in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He empowers, validates, and co-constructs liberating experiences with pregnant and parenting students and students in a continuation high school. In addition, he serves as a lecturer at California State University Northridge in the Chicana and Chicano Studies and Child and Adolescent Development departments. He utilizes his platform to uplift student experiences and capital. Fabian’s research interests include mentorship, equitable and culturally responsive practices, and ethnic studies. You are very likely to find Fabian at Dodger Stadium and Starbucks. He welcomes opportunities for collaboration.
Christina Tillery (VIRGINIA)
Christina A. Tillery, M.Ed., is a community educator and scholar who actively bridges gaps between research and practice. She is a former high school counselor with over ten years in secondary education and a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University's Counselor Education and Supervision program in Richmond, VA. Also, she represented the commonwealth as Virginia's School Counselor of the Year (2022 - 2023). Christina has worked on the local, state, and national levels, advocating for equitable practices to support all students.
Dr. Bobbi-Jo Wathen (CONNECTICUT)
Dr. Bobbi-Jo Wathen recently completed her PhD at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education. Her research has focused on postsecondary transitions for for Black males and school counselors’ readiness to provide comprehensive College and Career Counseling counseling. Dr. Wathen leads the School Counseling Department at Middletown Public Schools in Connecticut as the Director and has been working in the field as a school counselor since 2011. Her experience as a researcher/practitioner gives her a unique view of the needs in schools as well as current research.
Dr. Wathen has been an advocate for students from minoritized populations in many ways; access to STEAM curriculum, access to college and career readiness, and access to high quality integrated education. Throughout her career she has worked with the The Sheff Movement, the Legal Defense Fund, CT School Counselor’s Association CT Computer Science Teachers Association, Equal Opportunity Schools and Middletown’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Department to advocate for access to rigorous, college level curriculum for students. She also works as a education consultant with the National Center for Women in Information Technology’s Counselor for Computing. In this role she has traveled the US teaching school counselors, administrators, and teachers how to expand access to computer science to girls and other minotirized groups.
2022-2024 Fellows
Anna Black-Hogins (California)
Anna is a school counselor at two elementary schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. It has been an interesting time getting started in this profession but with lots of support from her colleagues and lots of hugs from students, she has really enjoyed the work. She has a B.S. in Child Development from Cal Poly SLO and an M.S. in Counseling with a specialization in School Counseling along with a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential from San Diego State (she is very CSU Proud!). Anna worked as an Admissions Officer at Cal Poly SLO for four years and now that she is on the other side, she has loved finding ways to bridge the gaps between K-12 and postsecondary education.
She is passionate about supporting students holistically and advocating for their individual needs by centering their voices and experiences. With an ecological counseling framework and up-to-date data-driven practices, Anna is here to support students and families equitably with early intervention and prevention in all educational domains. Outside of school counseling, she loves learning new languages, going to the beach (West coast livin' almost her whole life!), and anything that involves food (check out @hafu.the.time.eating on IG for all her food adventures!).
Maritza Cha (California)
Maritza Cha graduated from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles and became the first in her family to attend and graduate from college, the University of California, Los Angeles. She graduated in 2005 with two Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and History, with a minor in Education. UCLA was so nice she went there twice, earning a Master’s Degree in Education, as well as a teaching credential, from UCLA’s Teacher Education Program in 2007. She taught social studies at her alma mater, Garfield High School for 4 years. In 2010, Mrs. Cha and several colleagues designed and launched a pilot school within the Los Angeles Unified School District – Social Justice Leadership Academy at Esteban Torres High School. Mrs. Cha then decided to work towards her lifelong dream of becoming a college counselor. Mrs. Cha earned her second Master’s Degree, a counseling credential and child welfare and attendance credential, from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2015. Mrs. Cha currently works for Alhambra Unified School District as a school counselor and is working towards her PhD at Claremont Graduate University in Education/Urban Leadership.
Christine Enrico (New Jersey)
Dr. Christine Enrico is a licensed school counselor at Jose Marti STEM Academy in Union City, where she has worked for 11 years. She graduated from The George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs. She earned her master’s degree in School Counseling from Centenary University, where she also received her school counseling and associate counseling certification. She also holds certificates in substance awareness and college advising. She recently earned her doctorate of education in educational technology leadership, where her dissertation focused on school counselors' usage of technology assisting in the college admissions process during COVID-19. Dr. Enrico has earned specialist certificates in College Admissions, School Counseling Leadership, Mental Health, Anxiety & Stress, Data, Career Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the American School Counselor Association.
As a school counselor, she has had the pleasure of assisting students in grades 9-12 and overseeing alternate education and adult high school students navigating through their secondary and post-secondary academic life. Her experience includes educational planning, school use of technology, testing, overall staff professional development, and many aspects of college and career planning.
Enrique Espinoza (California)
Enrique Espinoza is a first generation college student and the first in his family to earn a doctorate degree. Enrique is a practicing schools counselor in the Garden Grove Unified School District in Southern California. His research interest is focused on issues of mental health, racism and inequity in K-12 schools, and the role of school counselors in addressing these issues. He is also an adjunct professor in the school counseling program at Cal State Long Beach.
Lillian Martz (Montana)
Lillian Martz is finishing up her 1st year of her doctoral studies at The University of Montana. She is pursuing a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision with the hopes of training future school counselors. She received her Master's in School Counseling from The University of Montana in 2009 and has worked as a high school counselor for the better part of the last decade. She is passionate about equity and social justice, crisis counseling and proper training of school counselors to handle students in crisis, and career exploration and dual enrollment opportunities for public school students.
Lydia McNeiley (Indiana)
Lydia McNeiley is the Lead School Counselor at Charles N. Scott Middle School in Hammond, Indiana. She holds a Master’s of Education degree in School Counseling from Purdue University Northwest. Lydia was named the 2020 Indiana Middle School Counselor of the Year and is the recipient of the Indiana School Counselor Association’s (ISCA) inaugural Trailblazer Award. She was also recognized as the Purdue University Northwest Educational Talent Search TRIO 2021 Community Partner Award Winner. She has contributed to pieces for NPR, Ed Week, National Geographic Kids, and NBC News. She was recently chosen as a member of the ASCA DEI committee. Her goal is to help expose marginalized youth to the different college and career opportunities available to them, in turn helping prepare them for future success.
Jasmine Newton (Oklahoma)
Jasmine Newton is a Licensed School Counselor in Tulsa, Oklahoma at Memorial Senior High School. She received her Bachelor's degree in psychology and Master's of Science in Counseling from Northeastern State University. She has worked at Memorial High School for the past three years; one year as a special education teacher and the last two years as a school counselor. She is also a member of Tulsa Public School's 2022 School Counselor Council and assists in planning and brainstorming ways to help in school counseling for her district.
She is currently a member of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), Oklahoma School Counselor Association (OSCA), National Education Association (NEA) and Great Plains Association for College Admission and Counseling (GPACAC). She maintains her membership with these associations to help her stay informed about the most up to date data driven opportunities and research available, that may help her students and community to prosper.
She has a strong desire to see students thrive and enjoys working with students from all backgrounds and walks of life. A priority focus for her for the past three years has been to provide opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and provide them with information about opportunities that may be out of reach due to lack of resources.
She is passionate about equity in schools and wants to ensure that all students can
learn in a safe, welcoming, and stable environment. She believes advocating for students
and their families is one of the most pivotal things about working in education as
a school counselor and finds solace in assisting them with all their needs.
Sarah Kortuem (Minnesota)
Sarah Kortuem uses the words, “We rise by lifting others” from Robert Engersoll to guide her personally and professionally. Since 2009, Sarah has been a practicing school counselor at the secondary level. She works as a High School Counselor at Bridges Area Learning Center in Minnesota. Her mission is to lead with heart while teaching learners how to cope with life, as well as empowering them on their path to finding themselves and realizing their potential. Her vision is to create culturally responsive, trauma-informed, data-driven school counseling services within a multitiered system of support that is grounded in empowering and strengths-based supports also while centering learners’ culture and experiences and overall well being. More recently, Sarah has embarked on a new educational adventure to pursue a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. She is looking forward to supporting the development of aspiring school counselors to become strong advocates and change agents within their schools. Sarah is passionate about mental health, social and emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, yoga and mindfulness, family engagement, creating systemic change with equitable practices, and fostering learning communities that are representative and inclusive.