Counseling is a team effort

The dedicated counseling team at Emmett J. Conrad High School has earned a prestigious state award recognizing their role in helping students grow and secure life-changing scholarships and opportunities.

Claudia Rodriguez, lead counselor, works alongside fellow team counselors Leslie Moore, Sonia Gilb, and Nicole Butler to champion their students’ academic achievement and well-being. This collaborative approach has been key to their success and their recognition through the Counselors Reinforcing Texas Award. 

“We are the heart of the school,” Rodriguez said. “And we are grateful to have a supportive administration that allows us the autonomy to find creative solutions for our students and not just follow a one-size-fits-all script for the students we interact with.” 

Rodriguez said the program follows a model set by the American School Counselor Association, which emphasizes supporting students in reaching their academic, career, and social-emotional goals.  

Through events like Career Day and through student achievement awards, the counseling team helps students build lasting connections and boosts academic morale across the campus.

According to the four counselors, their success stems from key qualities, such as flexibility, creativity, passion, and patience.  

“We love what we do every day. It’s been amazing to see that, as counselors, we can in turn help adults as well,” Moore said. “What we do for the students often trickles down to their families, making them better parents to their children.” 

That deep sense of purpose is shared across the team with each counselor bringing a unique background and decades of experience in education to meet the daily needs of the program. 

Moore has been an educator for 27 years and currently supports Conrad High School students in grades nine through 12. She discovered her passion for counseling while teaching math at South Oak Cliff High School where a fellow teacher encouraged her to consider counseling after observing her strong connection with students.   

“I would have after-school tutoring, and I always ended up talking to the students about their day,” Moore said. “I would have so many kids in my room because my class wasn’t just a math class; at times, it felt like a counseling class.” 

Moore received her master’s degree in school counseling from Prairie View A&M University. 

Butler, also a counselor for grades nine through 12, taught middle school art for eight years before discovering her passion for counseling. She has been an educator for 18 years and a counselor at Conrad for six. 

“It feels good to be able to help students both understand and change their perspective on life and to help make their futures better,” Butler said.  

Gilb became a counselor because of her love for high school. She began her career in education as an ESL teacher, helping students earn college scholarships, and has since dedicated herself to supporting high school students throughout her career path. 

“The students bring me joy,” Gilb said. “I love interacting with them and helping support them. It’s a joy to work with my counseling team. They are my people.”   

Gill collaborates with Rodriguez, and together they support students in P-TECH and early college pathways. 

“I love being a counselor because I can help the students, the bilingual community and the parents all at once,” Rodriguez said.