Upon entering the doors of Kennedy High School and walking down the stairs to get breakfast in the cafeteria, social worker Daniel Ascencao greets students with a smile across his face. Soon after, he can be seen chatting with various students.
Ascencao, also known as “Mr. A,” is the social-emotional learning counselor at Kennedy High School, where he has been working since January 2020. He has been in the local community mental health field for 20 years.
Since his arrival back in 2020, Ascencao recalls his moments first working at Kennedy.
“It was very bizarre. Because at first, we were at home, and they called it still here in place,” Ascencao said. “This isn’t what I signed up for, but I don’t think anyone signed up for this.”
Prior to his work at Kennedy, Ascencao went to college to study to be an SEL counselor, earning a master’s in guidance counseling from Texas A&M at Kingsville. This was not what he always wanted to do, though.
“Before that, in fact, I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. I would be in the NFL teams being the broadcaster.” Ascencao said.
At the present time, Ascencao is involved with extracurriculars at JFK, such as Interact Club and PBIS.
“With the interact club, I am a co-sponsor for that. Then there is something called PBIS; it is a committee on being able to find different ways to provide incentives and recognize people for their positive behavior,” Ascencao said.
“I would describe Mr. A as an empathic person and one of the kindest people I know,” junior Guillermo Alvarez said.
As the bell rings and the end of breakfast concludes, the conversations are near their end, and students say goodbye to Mr. A.