President's Letter: #WhisperHope

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! I am thrilled to have been elected as president of the Rhode Island School Counselors Association (RISCA) and look forward to serving in this capacity. I am excited to share my passion for our profession and hope to encourage many of you to become involved with your state association. Being a member of the board these past five years has taught me a tremendous amount about our profession. It has helped me become a better counselor and motivated me to go beyond the school environment in which I work every day and make connections with many other colleagues in this profession. To put it succinctly, it has been inspiring!
 
This past summer, I had the pleasure of attending the ASCA Annual Conference in Denver, Colo. I had an amazing time learning from school counselors from around the world. It truly energized me as I begin my two-year term as your president. During the conference, Calvin Mackie, an award-winning mentor, motivational speaker, and successful entrepreneur, said in his keynote speech, “When we have a struggling student, we need to take that student down the street called hope.” He said that we need to “believe in our student’s greatness, because we may be the only one who does.” Isn’t that truly what all counselors do on a daily basis? We, in some way, whisper hope into our students’ ears and guide them through their journey.
 
I invite all of our members to continue to spread hope among your students. Use the hashtag #WhisperHope on Twitter and share an experience about a student you have encouraged to travel on a path of hopefulness.
 
I look forward to meeting you in the coming months and if you have suggestions or questions for me or the members of the board, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Please visit our website at http://www.rischoolcounselor.org/.
 
Contact Lori J. LeBrun, RISCA president, at lebrunlori@coventryschools.net.