Maritza Azucena Salazar Cha

Maritza Cha graduated from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles and became the first in her family to attend and graduate from college, the University of California, Los Angeles. She graduated in 2005 with two Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and History, with a minor in Education. UCLA was so nice she went there twice, earning a Master’s Degree in Education, as well as a teaching credential, from UCLA’s Teacher Education Program in 2007. She taught social studies at her alma mater, Garfield High School for 4 years. In 2010, Mrs. Cha and several colleagues designed and launched a pilot school within the Los Angeles Unified School District – Social Justice Leadership Academy at Esteban Torres High School. Mrs. Cha then decided to work towards her lifelong dream of becoming a college counselor. Mrs. Cha earned her second Master’s Degree, a counseling credential and child welfare and attendance credential, from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2015. Mrs. Cha currently works for Alhambra Unified School District as a school counselor. She will complete her Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University in Education, Urban Leadership in June 2023.

Publications

Student-Centered Advocates: A Holistic Approach on Supporting K-12 Undocumented Students
Student-Centered Advocates: A Holistic Approach on Supporting K-12 Undocumented Students
Maritza Azucena Salazar Cha, Andrea Perez, Jessica G. Maldonado Alvarez. © 2023. 22 pages.
Undocumented students represent one of the most vulnerable groups served by United States schools. About 80,000 undocumented students turn 18 and approximately 98,000 graduate...
Servant Leadership: School Counseling During the Pandemic
Servant Leadership: School Counseling During the Pandemic
Maritza Cha, Andrea Perez. © 2022. 22 pages.
This chapter explores how school counselors are servant leaders through the MTMDSS Framework in K-12 and how they practice servant leadership skills pre- and post-pandemic....