Mayrin Bunyagidj, First Grade Teacher at Beechwood, has been an educator for the past 18 years. She enjoys being part of a student's learning journey by inspiring and providing life skills that will help children feel successful moving forward in school. At Sweet Appreciation Event, Mayrin shared how Acknowledge Alliance has supported her and the Beechwood students.

“Having the presence of Acknowledge Alliance is not only just a separate counseling room on our campus or weekly sessions with students — the staff are integrated into our school culture and family,“ described Mayrin. Life outside of school affects her six-year-old students, especially when they have to navigate life with dad away in the Navy, or deal with anxiety that comes in the form of tics (sudden, involuntary movements or sounds). She was not equipped to handle these challenges alone. Through Acknowledge Alliance, her students received counseling that brought them joy. Mayrin also received guidance from our Resilience Consultant, who was always there to listen to her and help reframe her thinking in a positive way. She is thankful that our staff gave her the space to be heard and the room to grow professionally, which in turn deepened her experiences with her students.

The school culture of Beechwood embodies the mission of Acknowledge Alliance, and we are incredibly proud that our strong partnership upholds the same foundation together. Mayrin captured it beautifully: “The students can count on many teachers and adults at Beechwood, each day, who care about them. We put relationships first before teaching.” Her hope for the future is to “have an even more loving, empathetic, resilient and resourceful community to teach our future leaders and readers.”