About me
My name is Kassie Cardona and I’m a Pupil Personnel Worker in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. I have worked for 20 years as a Mental Health Professional and Educator and I continue to learn as I serve children and families each day. The best way to explain my professional role is by saying that, if something isn’t going well, I am the one to call. That could mean an eviction, fire, or flood that displaces a family, a student who is dropping out of school, a student who has been incarcerated, a family member who has been detained by ICE, a young person who is couch-surfing with friends and cannot return home, a student who is bullying or facing bullying, a critically ill student or family member, or a young person who needs intensive psychiatric care. In short, my job all day, every day, is about the well-being of children and families. We know that one of the most important aspects of well-being, individually and collectively, is a cultivated sense of belonging. How we build this sense of belonging is not through one specific tool or trick, but rather through the establishment of community. We start with a term that will be familiar to mental health professionals across the country: that of unconditional positive regard. Without judgment and with our own biases fully understood and in check, we may better understand some of the most historically underserved and marginalized members of our community, in particular newcomer immigrant students and families, LGBTQIA+ students and families, and Muslim students and families, engage in dialogue with them, and thoughtfully design our policies and practices in order to boost well-being and strengthen our school communities.
