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REACH Award
REACH Winner, Estibaliz Diaz, Helps Students Feel They Belong
By Maya Sabatino
Estibaliz “Liz” Diaz, member and 2nd vice president of Riverside COE Chapter 693, is the 2025 Recognizing Excellence and Classified Heroes (REACH) Award recipient.
“Liz lights up a room just by walking in. She’s fun, she’s genuine, she’s loyal — and her positivity is magnetic. She builds trust effortlessly — with students, with parents, with coworkers, and with union siblings across her chapter and field office,” said Association President Adam Weinberger at the REACH award ceremony held at the AFL-CIO building in Washington, DC, on April 29.
“Liz personifies our values. She embodies what it means to lift others up. And she does it not for recognition, but because it brings her joy,” he said.
Diaz goes above and beyond both in her role as an Attendance Registration Technician in the Riverside County Office of Education, and in her community. Her job goes beyond ensuring students are in their classes each morning. Diaz is a friendly face for them and a cheerleader for their future success. She connects her students to resources to ensure they feel they belong, to ensure they are ready to attend their classes, to prepare them for their careers, and to follow their dreams.
The REACH award was created by CSEA and a coalition of classified school employee unions from across the country called United Classified School Employees (UCSE). The award ensures the work of classified employees does not go unnoticed and aims to uplift and empower classified professionals while highlighting the exemplary services they provide to students.
“For me, this recognition is deeply humbling. I have never sought the spotlight. The real joy comes from contributing to something greater than myself: the everyday moments when a student feels seen, a colleague feels supported, or a family feels hope,” said Estibaliz.
“My work is not just my profession—it’s my calling. It’s how I honor the help I once received, and how I carry forward the vision of CSEA: ensuring that every student feels safe, supported, and empowered to succeed.”
At her site, Diaz helps students in alternative education who have fallen through the cracks at a large school. Diaz explains that she views herself, and education, as the bridge that connects students to their path.
“For me, this recognition is deeply humbling. I have never sought the spotlight. The real joy comes from contributing to something greater than myself: the everyday moments when a student feels seen, a colleague feels supported, or a family feels hope.”
–Estibaliz Diaz
Diaz genuinely believes in her students. After having experiences where she felt she didn’t truly belong, she made it her mission to help her students know they do belong and that she believes in them. She explains, “We are not just supporting education—we are transforming lives.”
Described by her colleagues as someone who always puts others first and never asks for anything in return. Diaz is always providing support to those in need. Along with being a resource to students and fellow union members, Diaz also volunteers at a local women's shelter, with at-risk youth, at a breakfast and clothing drive for migrant farm workers, and she even fosters dogs and cats out of her home.
Her coworkers wonder how she has time to do anything outside of supporting and building up her community. “I don’t think there is ever a time when [Liz] isn’t doing something for other people,” her colleague said.
Even in her acceptance speech, Diaz highlighted the work of all classified employees, “I carry with me the voices of every classified employee who puts their heart into this work. I stand for the food service worker, the attendance tech, the paraeducator, the custodian, the bus driver—the everyday heroes who make our schools more than buildings. We make them communities.”
Diaz was also named one of CSEA’s Member of the Year recipients in 2024. Watch the video to hear more from Estibaliz Diaz.