Erik Gonzales
Position: Student Advocate / Internship Coordinator
School: John J Cairns Continuation High School
School District: Lindsay Unified School District
City, State: Lindsay, CA
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Erik Gonzales was nominated by his principal, Dennis Doane.
Mr. Gonzales is a LifeChanger! He instills hope and a positive outlook for every learner that walks on campus. He has played a major role in shifting the culture on campus. Mr. Gonzales is responsible for designing and implementing an internship program that has produced life-changing experiences for all students.
"We are a continuation high school that has a 96% attendance rate and 2% suspension rate. We will be honored as a Model Continuation High School this year, and that is due to the culture and atmosphere that Erik has fostered on campus," said Doane. "He was Tulare County's employee of the year last year and has a proven track record of leadership and success. He is a life long learner that believes in every learner - no matter their background and no matter their situation. Erik lives out his core values and has high expectations for himself and for his learners."
Erik brings enthusiasm and positive energy into the work place each and every day. A true example of the difference a positive mindset can bring to the learning environment.
Erik is and will always be significant in our community. He is a man of honor and continually without conditions serves our schools, community, families, and county. I'm thankful that I know Erik, that I serve my community and schools specifically Sequoia High in Visalia, with the same appreciation of his commitment. He is truly a Life changer of lives. Best wishes always Erik ! Cheryl Alcorn
I had the pleasure of working with Erik Gonzales in substance abuse treatment as well as in the school setting. Erik is a positive asset and an inspiration to the youth of our community.
I have worked with Erik,for many years he is one of the most motivated,reliable and caring person I have ever met..He has pure passion for what he does and cares for each and every student he comes across,he makes sure they have the tools they need to accomplish their goals and preparing them to pursue their career after graduation.Erik is awesome!!!
Officially at the school where I know Erik, he is the Student Advocate in charge of giving students real-life opportunities to develop their passions through meaningful internships in their communities. It is a key aspect of the school's pedagogy that has certainly impacted the personal experiences of each their students. While Erik's fantastic work with that is what he's known for, he does SO much more. The overt love and care that he shows for each and everyone of the students makes him especially stand out. The students are part of his family and they know it. He listens to each one compassionately and with respect as the individuals that they are, with the respect they deserve. He has literally saved some of these students lives because he goes way beyond the call of duty. It's not just the lives of the young that he impacts, but also the lives of the adults who are lucky enough to interact with him. He comes to work ALWAYS with a positive attitude and a great story and a joke to tell. He's responsive when you need help, and he makes sure you're well-attended to. You can't leave without smiling or laughing, and feeling like you want to be a better person after being around him!
Erik Gonzales has played a central -- and deeply motivating -- role in our work with JJ Cairns as part of a Stanford research study of supporting and measuring social emotional learning among students. His perspective, his life story, and his support for our work together have shaped our thinking and our approach to this research in such important ways. His dedication to student well-being raises the bar for all educators.
I worked with Erik for several years at JJ Cairns. Whenever he enters a room, I can sense a positive energy that everyone shares. He is an honest, hard-working man and example for the kids at JJs.
He always tries to bring out the best in his co-workers and kids.
Erik truly has his heart in his work. He cares for these learners and you can see his genuine compassion when he interacts with them and for them. He is all about the kids and helping them succeed!
Congratulations Erik! You are definitely a Lifechanger for all your learners they always rave about all the wonderful things you do to get them on the right path. The learners believe in you because you believe in them and always encourage them to be the best they can be . Erik you truly deserve this for all your dedication to our learners and community.
Erik is a true example of what our district's core values are. He has demonstrated commitment to the JJ community and excellence through the internship program. Thank you for all that you do, to help our Lindsay learners!
Erik does a great job working with our Lindsay Learners to get them to where they need to be!
As a Lindsay Learning Facilitator, I have the honor of seeing learners with internships coming to our school site. These learners are lifelong learners helping out the learning communities. These internships are great for our learners and community!
I was one of Erik’s learners in high school, he was always there to motivate everyone! Erik always encouraged me to do better and used his life experiences to help guid us in the right directions. Erik Gonzales has not just been there for me, he has also been there to help my family when we were going through rough times. He truly disertes this!
Congratulations Erik! You are definitely a Lifechanger for these learners. Such excellent work and I'm always looking forward to what's coming up next!
Mr. Gonzales is a positive role model to our district's learners.
I've worked with Erik before and he's always been such a pleasure to be around. His positive attitude makes you want to go out and conquer the world! He puts the needs of the learners he works with above all else, and he's been doing amazing things with the Internship Program. If anyone deserves this award, it is Erik.
Erik is an awesome member of our Lindsay team.
Erik is a phenomenal educator and person - I had the opportunity to work with him at JJ when I first started work at LUSD and cannot say enough about how great he is as a human being and friend. He deserves every accolade that comes his way! I always tell my learners from LHS that are headed to JJ's that they will love it - working for Erik was a great experience and I learned a lot. He truly cares about his learners and for that our community should be grateful - thanks for everything Erik!
Having collaborated and worked side by side with Mr. Gonzales, I have seen his dedication and commitment to each one of the learners he works with. He is respected and looked up to by the learners he works with. I am so happy to be able to state what makes Mr. Gonzalez stand out from the rest. He deserves this honor and I hope he receives it.
Congratulations Erik and Thank you for all you do for our Learners! You are a beacon of hope for all who cross your path!
Erik is a phenomenal educator and person - I had the opportunity to work with him at JJ when I first started work at LUSD and cannot say enough about how great he is as a human being and friend. He deserves every accolade that comes his way! I always tell my learners from LHS that are headed to JJ's that they will love it - working for Erik was a great experience and I learned a lot. He truly cares about his learners and for that our community should be grateful - thanks for everything Erik!
The amount of passion and energy Erik brings to his Learners and all he does at JJ Cairns is inspirational. He puts each and everyone one of the Learners first and believes in them 100%. If only we all had someone like him in our corner. Blessed to get to work in a school district with Leaders like this.
I am new to LUSD. I have only know Erik Gonzales for a few months. I recall that back in September I had a student/teacher conference which Erik facilitated. After the conference I thought to myself "Erik really knows what he is doing." I was really impressed by how well he ran the meeting. Since then I have been in other conferences with students and parents and Erik always facilitates the meetings professionally and insightfully. He displays the wisdom of a very seasoned administrator. In my opinion, I think that Erik has unlimited potential as a future administrator and of a life changer of our learners, his cohorts, and his community.
I’m Berenice Yepez and I was one of Mr. Gonzalez former students in high school. Mr. Gonzalez was one of my biggest motivators in life. I hit many rough roads in school but he managed to make me realize what was really important... Family, school, education and my future. He was a person I could come to and vent, talk about problems, but not only that he was also a person I could run to when I achieved something because he believed in me. I looked forward to coming to school and meeting with him because the minute I left his office, I left with a positive mindset. My family was always an amazing support system but Erik helped me realized that and appreciate it. When I didn’t have faith in myself, he was there to make me hopeful again. He taught me to be strong when I was feeling the weakest. He thought me to keep trying even when I failed. He taught me to love myself even when it was the hardest to do so. He helped me looked forward to the next day and then managed to help me look forward towards my future. I didn’t always make the right decisions but he was there to guide me through it, to learn lessons from my mistakes. I am now 24 years old, it’s been 10 years and till this day, when things get tough, I remember his words of wisdom and they sure do save me everytime. He was the type of person that if he taught you something it was not going in one ear and out the other, it was going to stick. He was then and is now a big blessing for Lindsay Unified School District! I am grateful as many of my peers are to have had him when we were in school. He definitely made a positive impact in my life and because of his help, I graduated high school. Thank you to Erik Gonzalez and all his help because on April 26, 2013 I received the “Every Student Succeeding Award”. He makes life changes and helps people see what they don’t see in themselves with a positive heart, attitude, charisma and that never goes unnoticed. I have accomplished so much and I will continue to share that with him as he was a mentor then and will continue to be my life mentor now. Erik Gonzalez was made for this, he has so much dedication, motivation and love for what he does. I strongly believe that his role to help others was his path in life. I can only imagine what he can do now and will continue to do for his learners. He deserves every great thing coming his way!
As a jj graduate i am happy to say that Mr. Gonzales was a great role model, friend and teacher to me and my high school graduating class, he is a great man . I’m glad he helped me and my class get through hardand rough times during our own teen years, I am happy to see, he himself keeps succeeding in many stages, he truly deserves this .
I was a student when Erik worked at JJ cairns and he was always the type of person to stop and see how u were doing and how things were going. I hit a lot of rough patches in my school years and Erik was always very helpful with his words of wisdom and advice he gave me at the time. I remember him telling us his rough patches in his life and how much he had went through and where it lead him. His story was always so interesting to me and I'll never forget the advice he once gave me. His enthusiasm he had for his job was like no other and he was ALWAYS with a huge smile on his face when he stepped foot on that campus. I'm sure I'm not the only person he inspired at one point but a huge thank you to Erik Gonzalez to simply listening and helping in any way he could.
My name is Karina Bautista, I used to be one of Erik’s students when I was in high school. He was someone who made me comfortable enough to speak to him about any issues I was going through. He always had the perfect words to say to me during my hardest times. Every time I would go to school I would look foward to meeting with him. Not only has he created an impact on me but he also has created an impact on many other people that I know. Erik is truly a blessing to the Lindsay Unified School district and the people he gets to work with. It didn’t matter what I was feeling he always put me in a better mood and have me ideas on how overcome what ever situation I was going through . Erik is a great role model who always has a positive attitude. The sacrifices he made to make sure he would help us never went unnoticed. When I think about high school he is one of the people I think about. Erik has a passion for what he does, he defiantly made a positive difference in my life. Erik has the ability to help others see things they never saw in themselves. Erik Gonzales is one of the reasons I graduated high school!
I am a cabinet level administrator that works directly to support the secondary schools in Lindsay Unified School District. I am at the JJ Cairns site weekly and can say without hesitation that the site has a culture that is unique to any other site that I have been associated with in my 24 year career in education. Mr. Gonzalez and the team are directly responsible for setting the conditions to allow the positive learner centered culture to thrive. Everytime I walk through the door I am met with Erik's enthusiastic welcome to the site. I cannot recall a time that I have not seen him with an upbeat attitude. This type of charisma is contagious the everyone he comes in contact with. Erik is the type of person that genuinely cares for people and wants the best for them. He has a tremendous breadth of knowledge and is willing to share it with learners and adults alike. Erik is a transparent and authentic leader that has the best interest of each learner at the core of his decisions. I am honored to work with Erik and he is more that deserving of any accolade that he receives. I can say without hesitation that Erik makes a positive and influential impact on the learners that he serves. If you were to speak to the learners they would most certainly echo my comments! As I have read through the comments listed below I can endorse each statement without a second thought.
Amazing man that helped me though some tough times in high school. When I needed a positive outlook in life or even just someone to talk to I knew I turn to him for that. He will forever be someone I will remember because he was such an impact in my life as a teen. I am happy he countinues to spread his positivity in a school setting to help motivate students who will benefit from what he has to give back to the community. I am not surprised he has been nominated for life changer of the year he truest deserves it!
Mr Eirk Gonzales is a down to earth humble person that really cares about he's students and the direction there heading in. He's a real postive and motivation guy I know casue he pushes me everyday to be a better me. So this is a well deserved Award that everybody recognizes he's hard work and I'm proud to have him as my best friend and most of all my brother ...
Erik Gonzales is an amazing colleague. I am lucky enough to be assigned to John J Cairns as the Blended Learning Assistant and even though I'm on campus part time, Erik always treat me just like family. Erik is extremely supportive not only of myself, but extremely supportive of the entire staff and our learners. Regardless of how busy Erik may be, he always has time to stop for a moment and help others who may need his help or feedback. I know I can always get honest feedback from Erik. His rapport with learners is beyond compare. Erik has a unique ability in being able to relate to some of our learners toughest moments when seek him for life advice and school advice. Erik is uncompromising learner-centered and every decision that he does is about learner success. He does all this while having a great sense of humor and at the same time building confidence and encouragement. Erik Gonzales is a prime example of our Lindsay Unified core values. Thank you for all that you do!
Mr. Gonzales makes a huge impact on campus, he sees in kids, what others don't see. He recognizes their potential. They way he approaches kids is so caring, authentic, and positive. He can quickly address their mood and alleviate a bad situation. The way he builds relationships with kids is unparalleled. Former students stop by his office just to see how he is doing and to share their successes with him. He is a joy to work with, he has a positive mindset that reflects in his work. He is a go getter, he is always moving forward and always willing to help and work on the task at hand. He brings a positive attitude to the workplace and can put a smile on anyone's face. He works well with some of the most challenging students and parents. Parents often look to him for a safe connection with the school. Mr. Gonzales is humble, caring, and a hard worker. Without a doubt, he deserves this award.
Erik Gonzales is an amazing colleague. I am lucky enough to be assigned to John J Cairns as the Blended Learning Assistant and even though I'm on campus part time, Erik always treat me just like family. Erik is extremely supportive not only of myself, but extremely supportive of the entire staff and our learners. Regardless of how busy Erik may be, he always has time to stop for a moment and help others who may need his help or feedback. I know I can always get honest feedback from Erik. His rapport with learners is beyond compare. Erik has a unique ability in being able to relate to some of our learners toughest moments when seek him for life advice and school advice. Erik is uncompromising learner-centered and every decision that he does is about learner success. He does all this while having a great sense of humor and at the same time building confidence and encouragement. Erik Gonzales is a prime example of our Lindsay Unified core values. Thank you for all that you do!
I’ve known Erik for several years, but I really got to know him when I became the School Resource Officer for the school district. He really is a great man and don’t tell him I said that because he will never let me forget it!:) We get along very well and I’ve seen a huge change in the school environment and in all of the learners. He instills confidence in the learners and lets them know that even if you have made bad choices, you can change if you’re willing and want more. Erik was willing and wanted more out of life and he changed his ways. He is an amazing father and I have seen him be a father figure to so many of these kids. It is an honor to work with him and to see how much passion he has towards making JJ Cairns the best school it can be. Erik sees the potential in the learners and encourages them to follow through with their dreams. Erik really has changed so many lives, including mine. I used to view these learners as troublemakers and lazy kids, but after getting to know Erik and these kids, I saw that I was so wrong. They want to be successful, have happiness, have good jobs, and Erik is leading all of them in the right direction.
Thank you Erik, you really deserve this award for your incredible commitment to all of your learners.
Erik Gonzales is a humble man with a big heart. He is one of the most honorable men I have ever met. He is admired and respected by both learners and staff. His unfailing loyalty to our school is reflected in the successes we have experienced since he became part of our school. Erik's integrity, sensitivity, and unequivocal devotion to our school has created a culture of trust and tenacity. Erik teaches our students that mistakes can be stepping stones for learning. He does not shy away from using his own life experiences to help guide our learners in the right direction. We rely on Erik for support, honest advice, and a quick laugh. Erik is the heart of John J. Cairns Continuation High School.
Erik Gonzales plays a pivotal role in the success of learners at John J. Cairns high school. The relationships he builds with learners and the supports he provides them, goes unmatched. His level of commitment to learner safety and success is apparent in the post-high school success of many of our learners. He advocates for those who don't have a voice, finds the resources for those who need it, builds deep relationships with the community, and invites them to help develop the growth of our learners. As a result, produces class after class of active community members. His impact goes beyond the classrooms but resonates with learners long into their lives. His work with implementing Positive Behavior systems and restorative justice builds the competencies for learners to manage self behaviors, develop a positive self concept, and realistic self-appraisal. Mr. Gonzales help learners identify their competencies through the internship program, as the coordinator. He is a strong support person for the learners as well as the staff. He is a leader and team builder. He works tirelessly in his efforts to support the team and the learners. The result is a highly effective team inspired by his honesty, integrity, passion, and love for his job and learners. He has the ability to see through behaviors, and treats each learner as an individual. He acknowledges their background, honors their stories, and treats them with respect. He works with the most underrepresented group of learners in the district, and does an amazing job. His presence is irreplaceable and long-lasting. It is with great privilege that I see he is nominated for this award because he is one of a kind. In my professional experience, I have never known someone so committed to the success of other people. Mr. Gonzales is very humble of his efforts, and I hope this award helps him be recognized for the amazing work that he does. Good luck, Mr. Gonzales!!
Erik is an inspiration to his learners as well as his family. He is a great role model to his own kids and wife. He sees in them what they can't see in themselves and pushes them to strive for success. No and I can't is not answer for Erik, he is a great leader.
