Director Of College Counseling At STA Awarded For Efforts

Mendota Heights MN

21 July, 2021

12:54 PM

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MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN — The director of college counseling at Saint Thomas Academy earned the Distinguished Service Award for 2020-2021 from the Minnesota Association for College Admission Counseling, the academy said. Since beginning her position in 2014, Norma Gutierrez has grown Saint Thomas Academy's services to help students and their families make decisions about post-secondary options, the academy said. Gutierrez and her staff offer a full-year elective course called "College Bound" that helps students prepare for college applications, testing and college itself, the academy said. The Distinguished Service Award honors a veteran member of MACAC who has contributed to the organization and has also made a difference in students' lives, the academy said. "Norma always goes out of her way to advocate for her students at Saint Thomas Academy, to help show the colleges that this individual student should NOT be overlooked," Gutierrez's unnamed nominator said of her. "Norma writes personal and beautiful recommendation letters, always is willing to chat and advocate for her students and works hard to make sure each of her students is placed in a school that is a right fit for them."