Jaime H. Castillo III, a doctoral student in Counseling and Human Services in the School of Education has been selected by The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Awards Committee to be the recipient of the 2015 Outstanding Graduate Student Leadership Award. Castillo’s accomplishments and contributions will be recognized and celebrated at the awards ceremony held at the national ACES conference this fall in Philadelphia.
“Jaime epitomizes the qualities of a leader in that he continually evidences initiative, serving as a role model for doctoral peers as well as master’s students,” says Nicole Hill, professor and chair. “He invests in the department, the School of Education, professional associations, and the profession of counselor education and supervision with a continual level of professionalism and commitment.”
The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision is a national professional organization dedicated to quality education and supervision of counselors in all work settings. ACES members are counselors, supervisors, graduate students, and faculty members who strive to improve the education and supervision of counselors in training and in practice.
Castillo is building an exemplary record of scholarship and service, within the Syracuse University community and in the field. He is an emerging leader in the North Atlantic Regional Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (NARCES), as well as an inaugural research fellow for the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational programs (CACREP). Castillo is a member of the National Board of Certified Counselors, most recently, working as a school counselor at Auburn High School, in Auburn, NY. He has provided mental health counseling for the Brownell Center of Behavioral Health in Syracuse, NY, as well as the Center for Specialty Therapy in New York City.
Castillo is also an active presenter at the state, regional, and national levels including the Annual Conference for Experts in Disability and Rehabilitation; the YAI International Conference on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; the NARCES Conference; and the New York State School Counselors Association Conference.
At Syracuse, Castillo was the Sigma Upsilon Chapter President of the Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) counseling honor society, spearheading an initiative to develop and deliver a Brownbag Series at the School of Education. Topics have included spirituality, bullying in schools, inclusion, globalization, and gambling. Castillo also served on the Dean’s Search Committee for the School of Education, working to ensure that the student voice was reflected in candidate interviews and feedback forums.
Castillo holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Penn State University, and a master’s degree from the University of Scranton. Castillo’s dissertation is titled “School Counselors Engagement with Students with Disabilities: A Path Analysis”.