Gomez, Parker named to School District's Highest honors

A CTE (Career and Technical Education) instructor and the executive secretary of one of the county’s largest schools have been named to the School District of Osceola County’s two highest annual honors. 

Vanessa Gomez, a Medical Assistant Instructor at Osceola Technical College, was named Osceola’s 2025 Teacher of the Year at the District’s Awards Ceremony Wednesday, March 6. Dawn Parker, Executive Secretary at Tohopekaliga High School, was selected as the District’s 2024 School-Related Employee of the Year.

The awards were presented at a festive gathering of over 700 people hosted by Osceola Heritage Park. In addition to the two District-wide selections, 56 teachers and 76 employees were also recognized, each representing a school or district-wide services in the County.

“You tirelessly strive to create an environment where every child can flourish and thrive,” said Osceola County School Board Chairperson Heather Kahoun, speaking of the all the nominees. “You are the unsung heroes, the driving force behind the pursuit of knowledge, and the pillars upon which our schools district stands firm. I am extremely honored and proud to celebrate all of the nominees tonight for relentless dedication and invaluable contributions.”

Teacher of the Year recipient Vanessa Gomez has been a CTE teacher at Osceola Technical College in Kissimmee for three years. The school’s dual-enrollment program current has 48 high school students. A 2008 graduate of Osceola’s Liberty High School, Gomez had a 13-year healthcare industry career. Since becoming an instructor, her students have earned a 100% passage rate on the industry certification exam, and recently clinched first place at a state-level HOSA future medical professionals competition.

Her work to expand her student’s practicum experiences led to a partnership with AdventHealth resulting in ten of her students completing the 200 hour practicum. She is now working to expand similar partnerships with Orlando Health, Nemours Hospital and HCA Healthcare.

“I love it,” Gomez says of her teaching, “It’s completely my passion. Their success is my success. My kids are my consistent drive. I call them my kids – they’re my students. I love them.”

“Ms. Gomez has the passion and accomplishments both as an exemplary teacher and an instructional leader befitting for our district’s Teacher of the Year,” said Superintendent Dr. Mark Shanoff. “What clearly stands out is her ability to motivate students toward higher achievement and success.”

School-Related Employee of the Year Dawn Parker has been Executive Secretary at Tohopekaliga High for the last five years, working with Principal George Arscott, who credits Parker as his “right hand.” He said Ms. Parker’s smile and positive words are the first things staff and students see and hear each morning, and she is the last person they see at the end of the day as well.

According to Parker, it’s also the part of the job she looks forward to the most.

“I go to work at 5 o’clock every morning and I greet every staff member that comes through that door,” she says. “I want to make sure they’re taken care of. I also love the kids. Whatever the kids need, I’m going to make sure they get it.”

Both Parker and Gomez will now represent Osceola County at the state level in the Florida Department of Education’s 2025 Teacher of the Year and School-Related Employee of the Year judging.