Counseling Chief is Cal-SOAP Visionary Award Winner

Congratulations to Melissa Janak, director, Counseling and Guidance/Placement and Appeal, for being awarded the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP) Visionary Award in May.

The award recognizes an individual in a post-secondary institution, K-12, or in the community who has demonstrated a commitment to the mission and goals of Cal-SOAP and has gone above and beyond to ensure that students succeed academically to pursue their college dreams.

Since joining the district in 1986, Janak has served as a counselor, head counselor and counseling program manager. She has been a member of the Cal-SOAP Executive Board since 2005 and served as its chair in 2009 and 2010. She is a current member of the College Board-SAT Advisory Committee and is involved with the National Office for School Counselor Advocacy—Urban School Counselor Initiative. She helped develop and coordinate new counseling initiatives for the district and is currently a member of the GEAR UP leadership team, which oversees a federal college readiness program for more than 7,000 district students and brings in more than $3 million annually for students at some of our neediest high schools.

Melissa Janak is known as a great collaborator who works tirelessly to bring programs and activities to students and has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to students, their college dreams, their future careers and the empowerment of their parents. San Diego Unified congratulates her on this tremendous achievement.


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