LAS DISTINGUIDAS
The Las Distinguidas awards were presented by co-chairs Susan Halliday and DeDe Shatzen at the May 11, branch meeting to three amazing women:
Norma Yoguez, Guadalupe Sanchez, and Pat Dudley.
Norma Yoguez was nominated for Las Distinguidas by SPIRITT Family Services. Norma embarked on her career
in social services in 1989 and is a dedicated professional, currently holds the position of Director of Programs at SPIRITT Family Services. She oversees child welfare prevention and early intervention programs, as well as outpatient substance use treatment services across SPIRITT locations. She has made
significant contributions to SPIRITT especially in developing domestic violence support groups and parent leadership groups in the Whittier and Bell Gardens area. These groups empower women to educate and inform the community through various events and workshops, domestic violence awareness, self-defense classes, healthy relationships, entrepreneurship and more.
Ms. Yoguez embodies a holistic approach to wellness through her practice of natural medicine and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, specializing in working with the Latino/a population. Norma earned an MA in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling with a specialization in Latino/a Studies in 2005. She holds certification as a Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Counselor. In 2016 Norma graduated from the Southern Calif. Univ of Health Sciences as an Ayurvedic Educator and Practitioner. Ayurveda is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. In 2022 she furthered her academic credentials by earning an MBA in Business Administration.
Additionally, Ms. Yoguez is affiliated with the National Assoc. of Forensic Counselors, CA Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, she Chairs the SPA 7 Child Abuse Prevention Council, and is an active member of the Eliminate Racial Disproportionality and Disparities Advisory with the L.A. County Dept of Children and Family Services.
Ms. Norma Yoguez immigrated to the U.S in 1981 and raised her son as a single parent. Her life story is a testament to her resilience, compassion, and determination.
Guadalupe Sanchez was nominated by the College and Communities Program through Boys and Girls Club of Whittier. She is the volunteer Program Coordinator for the Nuestra Voz Program ensuring the program promotes self-empowerment of the Spanish speaking community through cultural and relevant community educational programs. The program helps build knowledge, community involvement, and awareness through education and community action while highlighting participants’ voices.
Guadalupe planned events having a strong connection to academia to create opportunities for Spanish speaking adults to engage in other cultures and values different from their own through various learning experiences. Through increased knowledge, this community gained a higher sense of cultural awareness, increased connection to the Nuestra Voz community, and confidence as viable and positive community members.
Guadalupe creates a strong positive network between all stakeholders: Boys and Girls Club of Whittier, Whittier College, college students, school districts, and the Spanish-speaking community. Most of their community events/activities are planned around the involvement of at least two or more partnerships. For example, at the Whittier Film Festival, the professor of Spanish at Whittier College, Doreen O’Connor, and the Spanish-speaking adult community met the director and producer of a film adaption of a book they read. Guadalupe mentors college students when planning and facilitating lessons for the adults. They collaboratively develop goals to strengthen communication, group management, and interpersonal skills. The technology classes, in partnership with our school districts, provide the community with technology skills to enhance their daily lives. The college students plan and facilitate the classes.
Guadalupe was an elementary school educator for 33 years and retired from Montebello Unified School District in 2021. During her career she was a reading coach, promoting literacy in schools from communities with limited resources, and Spanish-speaking parents. Additionally, she facilitated district training for teachers and school administrators.
As an International Educational Consultant, Guadalupe collaborated with administrators to plan and facilitate teacher training on implementing instructional and English development strategies in Shanghai, China at an international school.
Growing up in Boyle Heights, Guadalupe attended USC, CSULA and received her MA in Educational Leadership from Cal Poly Pomona. Her goal as an educator was and is to provide an emotionally safe environment, varied opportunities, and accessibility to learning for all, regardless of age, culture, language.
Pat Dudley graduated from Western Michigan University as a History major with a minor in Sociology, as well as completing her Michigan Secondary Teaching Credential. After moving to CA she was hired by El Monte City School District, completed her CA Multi-subject teaching credential and earned her MA from the University of Redlands. Spending her career in El Monte City School District, Pat taught for 19 years and was an administrator (vice principal, principal and District Office administrator) for 21 years prior to retiring.
During her time in CA, she met Ken and they have been married 51 years, living in Whittier for most of those.
It’s as though once she retired, her new passion became volunteering, which was her mother’s passion when Pat was growing up. The American Cancer Society office, located inside PIH Health Hospital, Whittier, was one of the first organizations to which she applied her expertise as an educator and facilitator for Writing for Wellness workshops, Journal Making and Art Workshops, an American Cancer Society spokesperson for community groups, and assisted in the free wig program. When the Am. Cancer Society no longer maintained an office in the hospital Pat became a PIH volunteer for cancer programs and volunteers in the infusion center and wig bank. She has completed more than 2,951 hours of volunteering at PIH.
The Greater Whittier Area – AAUW became another area of focus for Pat when she joined in 2010, especially attracted by its focus of supporting middle school, high school, and women in college in attaining their educational goals. The STEM Math Science Conference for 8th grade girls, Tech Trek STEM Camp during the summer for girls between their 7th and 8th grades, educational scholarships for girls and women graduating from 2 local high schools, scholarships for women completing their AAs at Rio Hondo, and women working on their post Bachelor degrees were areas in which Pat immediately became involved. Using her background and sharing her thoughts to strengthen the Tech Trek program with the state AAUW, the program was revamped and brought to the standard of its intent statewide. More recently, Pat became coordinator of the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) with a branch presentation and book discussions on the subject. She currently serves on the Myra Long Scholarship Fund Board.
There were a number of letters supporting Pat’s nomination for the Las Distinguidas Award: 1) GWA-AAUW; 2) PEO (the Philanthropic Educational Organization); 3) Delta Kappa Gamma, Iota Omicron Chapter; 4) PIH Volunteer Department; and 5) CalRTA (California Retired Teachers Association).