Connecting Youth to their Gifts, Dreams, and Passions
By Roberto Suarez, Past-President
Homewood-Flossmoor High School
As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization we are bound to continuously connect to our educational purpose of serving students through the work of counseling professionals. In the past two years of service, I feel IACAC’s purpose has led me to a profound revelation of the meaning and purpose of life which is “to find our gift and give it away.”
Reflection and Hope
This past year was definitely a rewarding year; one that will forever stay with me. Through the many IACAC programs I was able to welcome attendees and the numerous members and non-members I was able to share in conversation, I finish this presidential year with a refreshed vision of making a positive impact in our world centered on the principle of connecting students to a self-discovery process guided by their dreams and passions. Through IACAC members, my family, and my students I’m learning as a humble leader that once we connect with our dreams and passions we essentially become conscious of the meaning and purpose of life.
Upon my return from our Annual Conference in April, my daughters Anabella and Alora met me at the front door with huge smiles speed talking about what I’ve missed. They loved the plaque provided by NACAC and asked if one day they can be president. Their enthusiasm filled my heart with joy. That same month my H-F Robotics team launched into new heights with more than half the team comprised of novices placed 2nd in the Vex competition category. They all thanked me not for winning an award, but for the time I spent with them by connecting them to what they feel as a world that can never have a problem too large to be solved. My daughters and students continuously help remind me that dreams and passions blossom overtime and it is our calling to always provide the support and encouragement needed to continue to help them make our world a better place.
Annual Report 2017-18 (includes Executive Summary)
With the input of the presidential team and the Board we’ve included an Executive Summary to this year’s Annual Report 2017-18. The Executive Summary includes IACAC highlights and financials that help capture what we’ve accomplished these past two years, along with our current membership and financial position which provide a glimpse of the trajectory of where we are going. Because of our gifted members and exceptional leadership over the years, IACAC is headed beyond limits and will continue to unleash opportunities to a growing number of counseling professionals and students.
Goodness is Found in the Soil of Appreciation
Thank you IACAC for an amazing and purposeful year! Your gifts have made all the difference in the world for students like Rachel who attend UPenn as a self-driven aspiring engineer. You may never know the impact you’re making in your lifetime, but in the end your gifts provide opportunity for our world to be a better place where we see problems as never too large to solve.
I look forward to another momentous year by serving as your Past-President, alongside outstanding leaders filled with integrity and a collaborative spirit with the wise President Patrick Walsh of Illinois State University, the passionate President-elect Amy Thompson of York Community High School, and the committed 2018 – 2019 Executive Board.
