New Blog- Saying goodbye to Linda Valdez

I'm gonna start a personal blog. I have another blog, but it's mostly about my music experiences and I mainly write about music I like and listen to. Anyhow, I've decided to make a personal blog because I feel like it'd be more open and I'd be able to write about anything that happens to cross my mind and what not. Another reason why I wanted to make this blog is because I feel like with me writing 'bout whatever I want I'd be able to practice my writing skills in almost anything.

So with that being said I'm gonna go ahead and start working on my first blog, which was actually assigned to me by Marisa Treviño. Marisa is the publisher of Latina Lista, a site that delivers Hispanic news in English rather than Spanish. She's also an editor, CEO/president, and a new media consultant. The assignment she gave me was to interview and write about one of the administrators at my high school. The administrator she asked me to interview was Linda Valdez.

Linda Valdez works as a Parent Liaison at Dr. Wright L. Lassister Early College High School for DISD. LECHS for short because honestly the former is just too damn long- "Ain't nobody got time for that!", hahaha. Her role as a Parent Liaison is to emphasize the importance of parent involvement in promoting school success and empowering parents to become active in their child's education.  

I walked in the office and took a seat in front of Mrs. Valdez. The office was pretty quiet when I came in. Everybody was working on their own thing. After I sat my things down a student came in, feeling under the weather and was wanting to go home. A simple office duty nothing major. So I didn't get to see Mrs. Valdez at her best moment, which is being a Parent Liaison. But then again being a Parent Liaison is not only about helping students one on one, its about finding students opportunities in the community and getting their parents involved. 

I've heard stories of how her school groups do many activities that help the community and give students many opportunities. I'm not one of these students simply because I choose not be a part of it. However, I know that if I were a part of any of her school groups I'd have great stories and experiences to share on a more personal level. So all I can write about is from what others have told me and my assumptions, which are that being in any of her sponsored groups will give you many connections and valuable experiences that are useful for the future.

Mrs. Valdez was brought up in a very strict household, with a lot of morals and values, church, and school. Her upbringings are what lead her to be who she is today and they've helped her help so many other people along the way. The journey began when she retired from the City of Dallas. After a year and a half it started to become a bore, so she set off in search for a job that gave her free summers, which lead her to start working at LECHS (formally known as Middle College High School) as a principal clerk. She thought at most she'd work only for about three years, but within those years she was promoted to be a Parent Liaison, and with her use to working all the time she didn't mind taking on these tasks. 

In the end the accomplishments of some of the students she has helped makes the past fourteen years worth it. She has gotten many kids scholarships and into universities that they didn't think they could get into. Along the way she learned how to help students and the importance of community service and encouraging these students when no one else was. She has learned that she has to give a lot of her time in order to help these students. And what better way to give back than to do it by using what she already knows and her previous experiences. 

Being a Parent Liaison was more than she expected, but the kids are what has kept her motivated. Former students call and tell her all their accomplishments, and for her to know that she was a part of their lives and gave them the resources they needed to strive and be successful gives her a sense of fulfillment and pride for the students. They've learnt that you need to "roll your sleeves and work hard", no matter if it benefits you or others who cross your path, its always good to help others. 

During her retirement she plans to take more vacations, specifically to Florida. She's absolutely in love with Florida and if she could she'd move there and spend the rest of her years in Destin, Florida. I've never heard of Destin, Florida, but I saw some pictures and it looks amazing and incredibly beautiful. 

It sucks that we have to say goodbye to Mrs. Valdez. She's given many students inspiration to keep learning, to serve your community, and to never give up. Without her nothing will be the same and hopefully the next person to take her place succeeds and puts their heart and soul in being a Parent Liaison just as Mrs. Valdez has. 

 "You haven't lived till you go to Florida"- Linda Valdez

"It's possible to reach the unreachable."- Linda Valdez