Millennium Magazine_5th Ed

83 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine Conte had the desire to help children who were like herself, and give them the proper care and educational services they deserved. Ms. Del Conte received an AA in human services from Genesee Community College in 1981, and a Bachelor of Social Work in 1983 and a Master of Public Administration in 1986, both from the State University of New York at Brockport. In 2000, she obtained a Master of Special Education from George Mason University. Ms. Del Conte recalls being admitted to George Mason’s Special Education Program as the highlight of her career, noting that she took many classes in the specialty and managed to graduate with a 3.99 grade point average while working full time. From 1998 to 2006, Ms. Del Conte was a learning disabilities and special education teacher at Fairfax County Public Schools in Annandale, Virginia. At Annandale High School, Ms. Del Conte was on the attendance advisory committee in 2003 and was the lead teacher of the remediation program from 1999 to 2002. Prior to her tenure in the school system, Ms. Del Conte was a case manager throughout the 1990s. She has worked at Jewish Social Services in Rockville, Maryland, the State of Maryland’s Great Oaks MRI Center, the Brice Warren Corporation and We Care, Inc. Ms. Del Conte’s biggest mentors were teachers Ruth Andes and Maureen Brown during her years in pursuit of her associate degree. She credits those women for their encouraging advice, which eventually brought Ms. Del Conte to be recognized as a Woman of Distinction in 2018. After a fulfilling career, Ms. Del Conte sees herself retiring in the near future to Tennessee. With her free time, Ms. Del Conte plans on hiking, reading, working out and attending local community college classes to keep her mind quick. G rowing up in a rural part of the country, LaVada Catherine Del Conte was bussed into the city every morning to receive a solid education. Many did not expect much from Ms. Del Conte because of her background, but she was the first of six generations of her family to complete her education. From those experiences, Ms. Del LAVADA CATHERINE DEL CONTE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER Fairfax County Public Schools Burke, VA EDUCATION