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In February we hosted our Paraeducator/Family Liaison Institute. It was wonderful to see so many family liaisons and paraeducators who are dedicated to learning and growing in their own practices and strategies. Our keynote speakers, Dr. Sue Hopewell and Dr. Cynthia Trinidad-Sheahan delivered powerful messages and our presenters provided a variety of engaging breakout sessions. Dr. Lorenso Aragon received the BUENO Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of dedication and support to teachers, paraeducators and family liaisons. Special thanks to our BUENO staff and faculty for putting on a great Institute! Here are some quotes from attendees and pictures from the event:

• “My favorite part of the Institute was all the beautiful stories that inspired me and the knowledge I gained and carry with me!”
• “My favorite part was interacting with other school districts. Being able to listen to similarities and differences of our school districts helped me think of ideas that I can bring to my school. I also enjoyed being able to share our personal stories during the break- out rooms. I felt heard!”
• “I like that there were lots of booths with important information for us to take back home to help our families, communities and there were free books. I took some and my kids loved them!”
• “Todas las sesiones a las que asistí estuvieron muy bien presentadas, dominaban el tema a la perfección, me quedé muy motivada con la historia de superación. Muchas gracias.”
• “I really enjoyed the keynote speakers. I felt very well represented and valued. The level of knowledge and expertise made the conference much more appealing. I can’t wait to be back.”
• “Everything was very informative I learned so much from this conference. I feel very confident that I can continue doing my work as a Family Outreach Liaison.”
• “My favorite part of the event was hearing about all these amazing ways Latinos/as have excelled in their lives. It's always so inspiring to see the heights to which people can climb, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, etc.”
• “I appreciated the real stories of all the presenters and how uplifting everyone was. This professional learning time was so beneficial for the work I do with families and provided me a direction to look into a Ph.D program! Thank you for organizing this event and affirming the work we all do!”
• “Seeing many people of color. Very helpful information on the rights of students and families and how we can make a difference in students' lives.”

Some pictures from the event: