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Recognition of various City employees and their accomplishments.
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Summary:
At this time, we want to recognize the outstanding recent professional and personal accomplishments of several City of Deer Park employees:
Jacob Zuniga - CPRE
Becoming a Certified Parks and Recreation Executive is the highest level of certification a parks and recreation professional can reach. Roughly 6,500 individuals are certified as Parks and Recreational Professionals across the United States, but less than 5% of those professionals continue their professional development to the highest standard and obtain the CPRE designation. Obtaining this certification is not easy. It requires extensive experience, education and the ability to pass a thorough examination. Jacob is a highly respected professional across the region and state. Now that he has obtained the certification, Deer Park is one of the small handfuls of cities across the country with a CAPRA certification, Gold Medal winner and a CPRE on staff. Congratulation to Jacob on obtaining the Certified Parks and Recreation Executive certification.
Kristen Villalovos - Inclusive Recreation Specialist credential
Kristen serves as the ADA Coordinator the department. She recently obtained the Inclusive Recreation Specialist Credential to expand on her professional development and find more ways to better serve the adaptive community. This 16 week certification course, which is conducted by the National Inclusion Project, provided Kristen with opportunities to better learn how to comprehensively adapt to every child’s need in every activity across all recreational settings. This training educates staff how to meet the needs of children with disabilities through the national standard for Inclusive Recreation Programs. Kristen is only the 3rd park professional in the state of Texas to obtain this certification and has taken the information she learned from the course to train and develop other staff in the department. Congratulations Kristen for this excellent achievement.
Kristen Villalovos, Camryn Cardenas and Isaac Tovar - Special Strong Education Certification
Special Strong is an organization that provides education and training to staff that work with individuals with disabilities. The Special Strong Education Certification provides Kristen, Camryn and Isaac with the tools necessary to teach, lead and instruct programs and classes that focus on adaptive fitness. The certification equips the professionals with the knowledge and skills to design and implement fitness programs tailored to diverse abilities. Some examples of certifications earned include Adaptive Personal Trainer, Adaptive Nutrition Coach, Adaptive Group Fitness Instructor, Adaptive Aquatics Instructor and Adaptive Corrective Exercise, among others. Congratulation to Kristen, Camryn and Isaac for making the commitment to serve the adaptive and inclusive community through the Special Strong Education Certification.
Dorlee Vargas, EIT
I am so happy to announce that in this past June, after countless hours of studying, Dorlee passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Civil, also known as the FE exam, and earned the title of Engineer-in-Training (EIT)! The FE Exam is a 6-hour, 110-question long, multiple-choice test that covers the majority of the courses seen in an engineering undergraduate curriculum. It is a two-part examination: the morning session tests general engineering principles including calculus, chemistry, mechanics, fluid dynamics and others. The afternoon session dives deep into civil engineering-specific topics such as structural, geotechnical, environmental, and transportation engineering. The FE Exam is the first of the two exams candidates must pass in order to become licensed professional engineers (PE). The PE Exam is next on her list to conquer as she continues to advance her career in civil engineering.
George Gonzales, BBA
I am really glad to announce that George recently completed his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. From a family of cotton pickers, George followed this dad’s footsteps by going into construction at an early age after becoming a young dad. After getting his GED, he poured himself into the construction field and family life. After the passing of his dad, the disintegration of his construction company due to the pandemic, he received a call from Ms. Dawn Crenshaw for a part-time custodial position. Now, as part of the Engineering Department, where he has shined as a Project Management and was recognize as employee of the year, we celebrate this new accomplishment in his life. But George, as the overachiever that we know he is, has also started his Masters Degree in Business Administration. So, hopefully, we will be celebrating that accomplishment in the not-so-distant future.
Armando Diaz, “Odis Chapel Fireman of the Year”
This Spring, Armando Diaz was named “Odis Chapel Fireman of the Year” by the Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department. This is considered the highest honor one can achieve as a member of the Department. It is so prestigious, it is not awarded every year. It is awarded only during a year when the DPFVD members believe a fellow fireman’s efforts of worthy of this recognition. Armando works as the Superintendent of Water/Sewer Distribution in the City’s Public Works Department.
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