Sarasota Middle School counselor named 2024 Florida School Counselor of the Year

A school counselor from Sarasota County has been named the 2024 Florida School Counselor of the Year.

Carmen Larson, a counselor at Sarasota Middle School, is the first counselor from the Sarasota County School District to win the award, given yearly by the Florida School Counselor's Association. She holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Florida and has been at Sarasota Middle since 2018, according to her LinkedIn account.

Larson will also be in the running for the National School Counselor of the Year award from the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) for 2024-25, according to the release.

“I am honored to be named the 2024 Florida School Counselor of the Year,” Larson said following the award Friday. “I consider it a great privilege to represent not only my profession, but also Sarasota County Schools in the FSCA’s efforts to uplift the students of today as they become the great leaders of tomorrow.”

The FSCA takes nominations from across the state for the award and judges nominees based on select criteria. The organization looked for a nominee who manages comprehensive school counseling programs; innovatively works to advance the profession; and passionately advocates for the needs of their school communities, according to the district's release.

Deb Giacolone the district's executive director of student services, said Larson "embodies the care and expertise of our district’s school counseling program."

“I am thrilled that FSCA has recognized Carmen with such a distinguished award,” Giacolone said. "She is a dynamic member of our team and does so much for her students and our district."

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Schools counselor named Florida School Counselor of the Year