Student Success Stories are LIVE!: #1 – Estrella Martinez

Every story is unique. That’s why we work closely with our students to understand their particular interests, needs, and aspirations. Check out our new series #StudentSuccessStories for snapshots of real students who have achieved in life with the help of #CISofHR
Estrella (Star) Martinez joined the Communities In Schools program her senior year at Granby High School. She was a chronic hall walker, lacked motivation, skipped majority of her classes and had no respect for authority figures. Before her introduction to CISofHR, Star lacked direction and her GPA fell to a 0.7. She was constantly being placed in in-school-suspension for skipping or being disrespectful. When she was paired with her CISofHR site coordinator, she began to realize that the world was not against her and she has a trusted adult in her corner. The CISofHR office became her safe haven, a place where she could go to get away when the stresses of school was too much. It was in the office that she began to share the stories of her life and her traumatic experiences. The site coordinator became her mentor along with pairing her with a peer support group in the school. Her involvement with CISofHR also included mental health support, group support, and academic support. Star’s behaviors improved and she became more motivated. During school closure, she became depressed because of the overwhelming workload that consisted of makeup work and current work. She had it made up in her mind that she was going to give up. Her site coordinator began to call her daily and stay up late to tutor her and help her complete all of her work. Star saw that there was someone who refused to give up on her, and that caused her not to give up on herself. She completed all of the makeup work and graduated in 2020 with a 1.0 GPA. Star now keeps in contact with her site coordinator daily with her positive progress. She is proud of herself for not giving up and she now has a full time job doing what she enjoys. It is student success stories like this that makes me as a site coordinator realize that my role is exceptionally important for students to progress academically and emotionally. We as site coordinators do whatever it takes to ensure all kids have the relationships, support, and resources to thrive in and beyond the classroom.
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Breona Pritchett, MSW, QMHP-C
Granby High School Site Coordinator
Bpritchett@cisofhamptonroads.org