Lara Nestman obtained her Bachelor of Arts at the University of King’s College and a Bachelor of Education from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Years later, Ms. Lara received a Masters of Education  in Human Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University, followed by a Master of Counseling in school counseling psychology from the University of Calgary. After teaching middle and high school French immersion, French as a second language, social studies and psychology  with the Calgary Board of Education, Halifax Regional School Board, and Kelowna School District #23, Ms. Lara spent eight years at a Calgary Charter school as a school counsellor for students with complex academic and social-emotional learning needs. She joined the CGCS community in 2022. Ms. Lara’s main interests in education are the social-emotional development of students, how students learn better academically when their social-emotional needs are met, and how relationships and support interventions impact learning. In her downtime, Ms. Lara can often be found travelling with her family, spending time on the East Coast, going to the beach, walking the family dog, cross-country skiing, attending music concerts, reading historical novels, and practising yoga.