My name is Lisa Macafee.  I am a community college counselor sourcing resources for my students.  I am also autistic, gendervague/nonbinary, and Pan/greysexual and have two autistic children. 

I am a passionate believer that education can open doors for people financially, socially, and personally. It did for me.  I have been counseling at the community college level for three years and taught Social Sciences full-time at Los Amigos High School for 11 years before counseling.  My motivation to work in education derives from my own experiences.  My father was a veteran and struggled with mental health.  When I graduated from Saddleback Community College, I became the first and still only member of my family to graduate from college.  It was not an easy journey for me.  While I attended school, I worked full time and lived in a senior citizen's mobile home park.  I recognize that my life would have been very different if not for educators who inspired me to keep going.  Sadly, many of my friends did not make it through college or to adulthood with me.  I believe the educational system failed them by being unresponsive to the needs of a changing demographic.  I have made it my mission to use education as a safety net for students – to engage, enlighten, and inspire so that students are drawn in to their schooling as opposed to feeling alienated by it.  The message I impart to my students is that education can bring a sense of self-worth and dignity to people who are struggling.  It did for me. It can for you.  

I am done with all the courses for my PsyD in Clinical Psychology and am working on my doctoral project on the intersection of gender diversity and autism now.  I have a Master’s degree in Educational Counseling, a PPS School Counseling Credential, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, teaching credentials in Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Autism Added Authorization, CTE/ROP Education and Child Development, am a Certified Autism Specialist, and my AA from community college.