We send our heartfelt congratulations to Palmdale High School’s Head Counselor Dr. Maria Rangel-Hernández as she was awarded California State University Long Beach’s (CSULB) 49 Under 49 Award!

The CSULB Alumni 49 Under 49 award program recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions in improving and uplifting their communities and beyond!

Dr. Rangel-Hernández was selected from a pool of 389,400 alumni WORLDWIDE! This award is an enormous honor and a testament to how impactful her work and dedication has been to her field that we, at the AVUHSD, have been unbelievably lucky and grateful to witness.

Thank you Dr. Rangel-Hernández for your unconditional support given to every single student and colleague you have worked with. You are an inspiration to us all! We deeply appreciate your ability to uplift and motivate everyone around you.

The AVUHSD is extremely fortunate to have such a strong, devoted, and resilient leader for our students to look up to! We send our gratitude for the phenomenal contributions you have made inside our schools and community!

Dr. Rangel-Hernández’s 49 Under 49 Bio

Maria Rangel-Hernández ‘18

Head School Counselor
AVUHSD Antelope Valley Union High School District
Ed.D. Education

The first Latina head counselor at AVUHSD, Rangel-Hernández oversees a team of 10 and serves on her union’s bargaining team. She volunteers as a mentor to those pursuing a doctorate of education at The Beach. She has worked as a school counselor for 18 years, three of those as head counselor. She served two years on her union’s state counsel of representatives and appointed first contact for its race and equity committee.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CSULB’S 49 UNDER 49 HERE

SEE THE 49 UNDER 49 AWARDEE BIOS HERE

This is Dr. Rangel-Hernández”s 18th year as a Counselor! Her why for being a Counselor is “I want kids to see that they too can be in this office one day. They too can be in positions of leadership no matter what they decide to do in their life!” Her one goal is to give her students all their options, and empower them during their time of decision making whether it be for senior year, college, or vocational school.

What inspires Dr. Rangel to keep going is “Seeing the lightbulb go off in students, whether that be because they passed all their classes in ninth grade or because they got into their school of choice senior year! That is what keeps me going and inspires me to come to work everyday.”

She also mentions her fantastic team at Palmdale High School, “When you work with a team that’s cohesive and we all celebrate each other and are there for each other when times are not the greatest, it is definitely something that I look forward to everyday!”

Palmdale High School’s Phenomenal Counseling Team