Rising Stars: Meet Jessica Lascano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Lascano.

Hi Jessica, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I spent most of my childhood years growing up in Duarte. I attended Royal Oaks Elementary School, where I was fortunate to have an amazing teacher, Ms. Ferraro, who saw my potential. You see, I was placed into bilingual classes despite the fact that I was an English only speaker. She quickly recognized my skills and pointed them out to me. She made me a classroom helper of sorts, and then she had me tested for the gifted and talented program. I got into GATE but doubted that I was half as smart as any of my peers in the program. I was grateful that my teacher recognized me, but I was scared that I would not live up the vision of me she had. My parents and grandparents encouraged me, and this kept me moving toward the goal of doing well in school. Even though my confidence lacked, the family and teacher support I had in place was vital to my success. I moved to the high desert and attended middle and high school there. Again, I had teachers who seemed to see something in me that I did not. They placed me into honors and advanced placement classes and pushed me to continue to develop my abilities. One of the career center staff, a woman by the name of Diane Rodriguez, helped me apply to college. I had no clue how college worked or what it would be like. She supported me in understanding the process and assured me that I was a viable candidate. I applied and was accepted. I chose to go to the University of California Riverside. I was the first person in my family to attend college. I obtained a B.A. in psychology and immediately became a substitute teacher. I then took on a role as a teacher at a non-public school. I was young, inexperienced, and naive, but I was a hard worker and people noticed. The school where I attended high school got wind that I was teaching and asked me if I would apply for a special education teacher position they had available. I applied and got the job. I spent my first year there working as a special education science teacher. I also enrolled into a credential and master’s program at Azusa Pacific University.

My second year as a special education teacher, I was asked to take on the role of teacher in a behavior class. I would be supporting students with behavioral, social, and emotional challenges. I accepted the role, finished the teacher credentialing program, obtained a teaching credential and master’s degree and decided I wanted to help children in a different way. I was unsatisfied with the state of special education, and in particular I was disappointed that non-data based decisions were being made about children’s lives. I knew I could do better; I knew I could be a voice for kids. As soon as I finished my teaching credential program, I began school psychology and school counseling credential and master’s degree program. I obtained my second master’s degree and both school psychology and school counseling credential in May of 2010. I worked one more year as a teacher and then accepted a job as a school psychologist in the Yucaipa-Calimesa School District. That was one of the best choices I ever made. I learned so much within my position there, and my skills grew tremendously. I also met my mentor, who is one of the most incredible advocates for children I have ever met. Her name is Dr. Patty Metheny, and she continues to be an amazing leader and voice for children. When I concluded my role there, I became a behavior specialist for a very brief time, went back to school psychology, then became a program specialist. Eventually, I returned to school psychology and took on a position within a county office of education.

In my current role, I have served as a school psychologist for alternative education and juvenile hall placements. Over the years, I continued my education completing coursework required to become an LPCC and coursework required to sit for the BCBA exam. I also became a licensed educational psychologist which has allowed me to complete private assessments and support children and families in a different way than I can in schools. In addition, I have worked with families of children on the autism spectrum as a parent trainer and I have provided direct social skills and ABA support. I am presently an adjunct professor, university mentor and presenter. I like these roles because they allow me to support and guide people entering the field of education and this helps children. I am have completed life coaching coursework and I am currently completing hours to become certified with the International Coaching Federation. I believe this certification will pair well with my goals of helping children and adults. I created my social media page “Practical School Psychology” as a way to disseminate information to families, community members and educators on an accessible and comprehensive manner. I believe that by helping adults, I can reach many children that I would otherwise not have access to.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My road was not smooth at all. As I stated earlier, I was the first one in my family to attend college, so that was a definite challenge for me. I had such a hard time envisioning and accepting that I was meant to attend college. I was filled with self-doubt, often believing that I was not as capable or prepared as my peers. It took me many years to overcome this challenge, and I was well into my role as a school psychologist when I realized that I do in fact possess many skills and abilities. Another challenge was that in my second year of college, I became pregnant with my son. The university doctor told me that I could kiss my school career goodbye if I kept the baby. I refused to believe him. I knew that I could make it work, even if it would be very difficult. My parents helped me tremendously during this time in my life. They helped me care for my son and held me accountable for meeting my obligations. They constantly reminded me of why I was doing what I was at school and pointed me to the bigger picture of creating a future for my son and I. I gave birth during my third year of college. My son was born at the very beginning of the winter quarter, this was advantageous because it meant I did not have to take time off. I had him on a Friday and I was in class by the next week.

With the support of my family, I graduated from U.C.R. at the end of my fourth year. The feelings of success and relief were incredible. I have raised my son along for all of these years, and what a journey it has been. I am grateful for the experience, and I am empathetic to all of the people out there trying to raise children with no help from a co-parent. My best advice is to believe in yourself and get an education or training to differentiate your skills and create a career path. When I became a teacher things went fairly smoothly. I had to obtain an emergency credential in order to being teaching so that was a small hurdle I had to overcome, but it was something I could tackle. One challenge I did have when teaching was getting administrators and other teachers to see why we needed to do the right thing for kids. I was yelled at and told off my a principal in front of a parent because I was advocating for what the child, our student, needed and was legally entitled to. It was my birthday and I was pregnant, and I left that meeting in tears because of that principal. I was heart-broken for the student and humiliated. I found that at times I needed to put my feelings aside to get what was needed for kids. Interestingly, last summer that principal’s school called me and asked if I could put on a training for them. I am sure she does not remember me but talk about the tables turning. I turned down the gig.

When I finished my school psychology/school counseling program, I had a very hard time finding a job. The market had tanked due to the housing crisis and most school districts were removing positions and furloughing people. I applied to about 150 jobs, I am not exaggerating about that number. I interviewed at least 20 times. I applied to any and every school psychology job that posted on Ed Join. It took me a year to obtain a position as a school psychologist, and during my search I really doubted myself. It ended up being a great thing because I landed in the place where I met my mentor, Dr. Patty Metheny, she was my boss at the time and she was an incredible support and guide for me. One more twist in my story is that when I briefly accepted a behavioral specialist position, I was faced with a dilemma. The person who was supposed to mentor me in this position, and support me in obtaining hours I needed to get a certification, really did not act as a mentor to me at all. It seemed that she had accepted the role out of obligation but was not really interested in providing support. This meant that I could not fulfill my obligation of obtaining hours. I had to have a highly uncomfortable talk with H.R. to ask to be let out of my contract. Thankfully, the H.R. director understood and helped me. Leaving was not something I wanted, but I knew I did not have an alternative. The experience taught me the value of being honest and true to myself and the importance of difficult conversations. I really loved my co-workers in that position so leaving was bitter-sweet, but moving on brought me many more opportunities than I could have imagined.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a licensed educational psychologist, school psychologist and adjunct professor. I am also an associate professional clinical counselor, and I have completed the ABAI Verified Course Sequence 4th Edition Task List©️. I have completed life coaching coursework and I am currently completing hours to become certified with the International Coaching Federation. I believe this certification will pair well with my goals of helping children and adults. I have done in home ABA, parent training and social skills teaching. I am also an adjunct professor, university mentor, and trainer. I specialize in helping adults to become better teachers and school psychologists. I love supporting children and I know that the best way to do this is to equip the adults that surround them with the skills, tools, and confidence to do the best they can.

I am known for my thorough assessments, my consultation, and my communication skills. I do very well with explaining concepts and giving examples which illustrate why these concepts apply. I am most proud of my tenacity. There are multiple times in my life when it would have been easier to give up or to take the easy road, but I never did that because I have a longing to improve, to strive, and to reach goals. What sets me apart from others is my deep knowledge of subject matter, many will say they are knowledgeable but when they get down to details, it is apparent that the well they draw from is shallow. My knowledge comes from years and years of experience in working directly with children, families, educators and the community as well as continuing education and self-improvement. People know that if I say or share something it will be based in fact and I will provide sources to support my stance.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
There are a couple of things that make me happy. Seeing my family happy and successful makes me happy. They are my world and I love to see them do well. I love to see children do well, I love to see them getting the support and care they need and I love to see them make strides. Reaching my potential and pushing myself physically and mentally makes me happy. I love to set goals and meet them. I love to help others set goals and I am very rewarded when I see them reach those goals. I am a big fan of cheering people on, and the act of doing this fulfills me.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/practicalschoolpsychology/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PracticalSchoolPsychology20