Congratulations to this month’s ESC-20 Evaluator Spotlight, Marivel Villanueva!

Marivel is an Educational Diagnostician with Cotulla ISD who brings more than 30 years of knowledge, experience, and unwavering dedication to the field of education. As one of the early bilingual educational diagnosticians in the region, she has spent her career advocating for students, supporting educators, and mentoring the next generation of evaluation professionals.

Here is what her colleague shared:

“Marivel is truly an inspiration to everyone around her. Throughout her career as an educational diagnostician, she has mentored many diagnostician interns—including me—as well as special education teachers.

When I first came to the district 14 years ago, Marivel immediately recognized that my heart was in special education. She encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree and consider becoming an educational diagnostician. Although I initially chose a different path, Marivel never gave up on me. I eventually followed her advice, earned my master’s degree in special education, and became an educational diagnostician.

During the more than 160 hours I spent working with Marivel, I learned so much—not only about assessment, but also about connecting with students and truly seeing the whole child. I worried that becoming an educational diagnostician would mean losing the opportunity to build relationships with students. Marivel showed me that getting to know a student through the evaluation process is just as important as it is in the classroom, if not more so.”

As Marivel prepares for a new chapter in retirement, she reflected on her career and the journey that led her to become an educational diagnostician:

“I have enjoyed a long and fruitful career. I began as a second-grade general education teacher and moved into the special education classroom when the opportunity arose. After returning to Cotulla, I continued my career in a bilingual prekindergarten classroom. It was during that time that I decided to pursue a career as a bilingual educational diagnostician because I realized that, in this role, I could advocate for even more children than I could within a single classroom.

I have enjoyed sharing my love of education while supporting general education teachers, special education teachers, and, most recently, encouraging others to become diagnosticians. I am not only mentoring them—I am also learning from them.

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working alongside school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. I am especially proud to conclude my career in my hometown, where my dream of having our own Special Education Department became a reality. I am truly honored to accept this recognition.”

Thank you, Marivel, for your extraordinary service and the lasting impact you have made on students, families, educators, and fellow evaluators. We are incredibly grateful to have you as part of our Region 20 community. As you look ahead this well-earned new chapter, we know your influence and legacy will continue to be felt far beyond your hometown!

Originally published by Education Service Center, Region 20.