Melissa Ockerman, assistant professor in DePaul’s College of Education, was recently named Counselor Educator of the Year by the Illinois School Counselor Association (ISCA). Two alumni of DePaul’s graduate counseling program also won awards.

“Melissa is a forward-thinking and highly productive counselor educator to whom the graduate school counseling program at DePaul owes great credit,” said Erin Mason, assistant professor in DePaul’s College of Education, in her letter of recommendation. “Hired as the first counselor educator at DePaul with a school counseling focus, Melissa grew and strengthened the program from its very humble beginnings.”

Two alumni of DePaul’s graduate school counseling program also won awards. Dustin Seemann (ED ’08) from Mt. Prospect High School, won High School Counselor of the Year, and Kim Kopec (ED ’04) from Naperville Central High School, won Internship Supervisor of the Year.

Ockerman is the first person from DePaul to receive the award, according to Daniel Stasi, ISCA executive director. Award recipients must support professional school counselors and counseling programs and provide leadership in the further development of exceptional school counseling programs.

“I have always believed that as an educator I am only as good as my students,” Ockerman said. “My DePaul students are bright and talented and continue to make long-lasting and positive differences in the lives of their students. To me, that is the greatest reward.”

Ockerman was instrumental in making DePaul’s graduate school counseling program the first institution in Illinois and the 24th in the nation to affiliate with The Education Trust’s National Center for Transforming School Counseling (NCTSC) initiative. The distinction recognizes DePaul’s school counseling program as a national leader in the school counseling profession.

The Washington, D.C.-based NCTSC promotes a new vision of school counseling in which school counselors advocate for educational equity, access to rigorous college and career-readiness curricula, and academic success for all students. It aims to transform school counselors into powerful agents of change to help close the gaps in opportunity and achievement for economically disadvantaged students and students of color.

Affiliation with the national organization is a draw for employers when hiring school counselors as well as for potential school counseling students, Ockerman said.

The College of Education’s graduate counseling program is one of the largest counseling programs in Illinois and one of the most sought-after master’s degree programs at DePaul. School counseling is the largest of the graduate counseling program’s three tracks, which also include community counseling and college student development. For more information about the school counseling program, please contact Ockerman at (773) 325-8646 or mockerma@depaul.edu.

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About ISCA

ISCA promotes excellence in professional school counseling as an integral component in the development of all students while fostering public awareness in the counseling profession statewide.                                                             

About DePaul

With more than 25,000 students, DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, nonprofit university in the Midwest. The university offers approximately 275 graduate and undergraduate programs of study on three Chicago campuses and three suburban campuses. Founded in 1898, DePaul remains committed to providing a quality education through personal attention to students from a wide range of backgrounds. For more information, visit www.depaul.edu.