ELIZA SANTAROSA
MBUSD District Counselor
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​Eliza Santarosa is thrilled to be part of the Student Union at Mira Costa! She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Human Development from Boston Colllege. After college, she explored different aspects of education from substitute teaching, to special education, and even a little coaching. After a few years, she learned that her passion was in mental health as it relates to education. She went back to school to earn a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and a School Counseling Credential, from the University of Southern California. Since graduation, she has held a variety of positions in School Counseling: Academic School Counselor, Support Counselor, College and Career Counselor, and now the District Counselor. As the District Counselor, her priorities lie in student wellness and mental health services. The Student Union is the perfect place to support these goals. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 3 young children and shuttling them around town, skiing, cooking, and reading.
ZARA JAMANI
MBUSD School Counselor Intern
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Zara Jamani is a counseling intern at multiple sites in MBUSD during the 2023-24 school year, and most of her time will be spent supporting the Student Union at MCHS. Her focus is on college and career support in helping students prepare for and reach their current and future aspirations. Zara is scheduled to complete the Masters in School Counseling program with Pupil Personnel Services credential at California State University Long Beach in May 2024. When not supporting students with college and career readiness, she enjoys going on long walks while listening to a podcast, reading, and watching hockey, especially her childrens’ games. Her tip for living an empowering life is to remember to not fixate on what is beyond our control but rather focus on our response to what is happening around us. This school year, Zara will provide: college and career counseling individually and in groups, group attendance counseling, and individual counseling.
RAEANN MARTI
MCHS Vice Principal​
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Raeann Martí is excited to be joining the Mustang family at Mira Costa! Known by many students as Mrs. Martí, our new Vice Principal was a 6th grade Humanities teacher at MBMS for nine years. Ever since she was young, Mrs. Martí knew she wanted to be a teacher due to her love for learning and innate desire to help others. Mrs. Martí obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal State Long Beach. Mrs. M looks forward to this new chapter in her career that will allow her to continue to support students, teachers, and the Manhattan Beach community on a larger scale. In her free time, Mrs. Martí loves going on adventures in nature with her husband and two sons, Héctor and Lorenzo. You might also see Mrs. Martí riding her bike on the Strand with her family. If you do, don’t hesitate to say hi!
CATHEY GRAVES
MBUSD Board Member
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Cathey Graves is currently President of the MBUSD School Board. Following a 17 year career as an attorney, she retired to devote attention to her 4 children and volunteer at MBUSD schools. Her work with the District has spanned 20 years and has focused on creating and supporting outlets to enhance the wellness of all children in the District, including significant investments of time in MBUSD school garden programs, Young at Art, Science Labs, performing arts and athletics. She has additionally been active providing opportunities for children to thrive and find their passions through coaching in local sports leagues, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Amigos and National Charity League. As a founding member of the Social Emotional District Committee and the Chair of Health and Wellness at Mira Costa from 2019-2021, she saw first hand the stressors that impacted our students, including homework, extracurriculars, college pressures and lack of sleep. As part of an overall plan to support students she worked with administration, counselors, PTSA, and students to create the Union, a safe space for students at Costa. She is excited that students have embraced the Union and proud of the work of our counselors, teachers, and administrators to support all students in this space.
