Kilgore, Texas - On Thursday, July 24, Region 7 ESC proudly hosted the Paraprofessional Symposium 2025: Empowering Futures: Strengthening Support to Inspire Success, a full-day event designed to honor and support the impactful work of paraprofessionals across Region 7 school districts.
The annual symposium brought together 80 paraprofessionals for a day of inspiration, professional learning, and career development. The event’s purpose was clear: to acknowledge the vital contributions paraprofessionals make in education and to provide meaningful tools and strategies to help them drive positive student outcomes.
The day began with a general session that featured a powerful panel of educators who shared personal journeys from their early roles as paraprofessionals to their current positions in the field. Among the featured speakers were Joneshia Cranford, Transition Coordinator for Lufkin ISD, who spoke about her journey from paraprofessional to earning her Master’s degree, and Jeff Rollins, Hudson ISD special education teacher, who shared how his time as a paraprofessional inspired his career in teaching.
Participants attended breakout sessions covering key topics such as behavior supports, instructional strategies, and visual supports—particularly those tailored to emergent bilingual students. Attendees appreciated the practical application and relevance of these sessions:
“I liked the examples they gave us in the behavior session. We talked about situations and how we can handle them.”
“The samples they provided in the instructional session were nice. They talked to us about ways we could help students and then gave actual examples for doing that.”
“I just love Region 7. We always learn a lot!”
A unique highlight of the event was the Higher Education Partner Fair, where paraprofessionals had the chance to interact with representatives from Angelina College, Kilgore College, UT Tyler, Tyler Junior College, and Grand Canyon University. These partners provided information, resources, and guidance for those exploring opportunities to further their own education and professional growth.
Region 7 ESC hosts the Paraprofessional Symposium annually each July as a cornerstone event that reinforces the value and importance of paraprofessionals in today’s classrooms. With continued support and collaboration, Region 7 remains committed to empowering those who play a critical role in student success.
Region 7 ESC is committed to district, charter, and student success by providing quality programs and services that meet or exceed customer expectations. One of 20 regional education service centers statewide, Region 7 ESC participates in the planning, development, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of innovative educational programs for 94 school districts and 7 charter schools in the counties of Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Nacogdoches, Rains, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Panola, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood. For more information, visit www.esc7.net.
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