Lamar Has New “Safe Space”
For more than twenty years, Dianna Flores was a steady force at AISD’s Turning Point campus, guiding students through some of the toughest moments in their lives. She became known not only as a counselor, but as a lifeline – someone who listened without judgment and spoke with honesty even when the truth was hard to hear.
After two decades of building trust, giving support, and changing lives one conversation at a time – Flores felt something stirring inside her: it was time for a new challenge. It was time for both a new place and a new purpose.
Flores is now proud to walk the halls of Lamar, with the same boldness, passion and warmth that her former students still talk about. To some, she’s a familiar face in a new setting. To others, she’s the staff member they didn’t know they needed. But for everyone, Flores is becoming something rare: a safe person in a world where safety can seem hard to find.
In recent weeks, Flores excitedly accepted the role of Lamar’s Restorative Practice Specialist.
Students at Lamar are quickly learning what generations of Turning Point students already knew: Flores takes pride in listening to students. She doesn’t judge their stories, but she truly listens. She doesn’t pretend to understand. She truly listens.
In a building full of busy schedules, ringing bells, and the pressure to keep up – Flores offers something that feels almost revolutionary: time. She offers time to talk, time to sit, time to breathe. Her door remains open not because it’s her job, but because it’s her calling.
Ask any student who has met her, and you’ll hear the same thing: “She’s real.”
Flores doesn’t sugarcoat anything. She doesn’t pretend everything is perfect, and she doesn’t give out scripted answers. Instead, she shares wisdom earned from decades of guiding teens through fear, heartbreak, confusion, joy and growth. She treats students like human beings, not like problems to be solved. She’s the person who will tell you the truth even when it’s uncomfortable—but she’ll also be the first person to cheer for you when you start believing in yourself again. She has a way of making students feel seen, understood, and valued, even on the days they feel invisible.
In many ways, Flores’ arrival at Lamar is her own kind of fresh start. After twenty years of impact at Turning Point, she didn’t just want to continue helping students—she wanted to bring everything she learned to a new generation in a school that is ready for her voice, her presence, and her heart.
Lamar High School isn’t just getting a new staff member. Lamar is gaining a mentor, a listener, and a truth-teller – a difference-maker.
For every student who needs someone to talk to, someone who won’t judge, someone who won’t walk away, someone who understands real life – Flores is that person.
