Martin Luna

I GRADUATED WITH my bachelor’s in teaching from the Tech Teach program in August 2021. In the fall, I was able to start a job here in Roscoe. The program offered me a lot—CEN took care of the costs so I could study, and it let me stay local and work here in the district. During the pandemic, you could stay home and work on these courses and still get your degree.

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My students have their own lives. They’re different from me. I want to know what’s going on with them. I want to know what makes them who they are.”

As I go into my classroom, I definitely want to find a way to intrigue the students, hook them in, and get them excited about what they’re about to do. My students have their own lives. They’re different from me. I want to know what’s going on with them. I want to know what makes them who they are. I carry that with me as I work with these kids.

What gives me hope is the fact that I can wake up tomorrow and give whatever I’m doing another shot. If I didn’t do well yesterday, I have today to try again. I have today to make it right. Because when you give up, you’ve lost for sure. Every day is a new chance. Every morning I wake up, I can try.

Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN) is a winner of the Catalyze Challenge, an initiative co-sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation which offers grants to innovative approaches to expanding student access to career-connected learning. CEN’s mission is to transform the futures of rural students by investing in local school districts and partnering with business leaders and communities to develop forward-looking workforce development practices. Since its founding in 2019, CEN has grown to serve more than 4,000 students across seven Texas school districts. Martin Luna was the 2020 valedictorian of Roscoe Collegiate High School and went on to graduate from Tech Teach, a CEN program through which students can earn a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate in one year. Luna began teaching 9th grade Geometry, 8th grade Mathology (Intervention Class for Math, English, and Science) at Roscoe Collegiate High School this fall. He also proctors online college courses where he utilizes his experience as a student to help other students be successful.