A True Partnership

Martina Sancristobal and Partner Teacher Jacyln Thompson

A Tutor-Mentor, a teacher, and kindergarteners. A partnership that worked.

“Root 2  Rise brought out a side of me I didn’t think I had,” says Martina Sancristobal, a West High School student who was a Tutor-Mentor at One City Schools in Madison.

She originally volunteered for two hours daily, but often stayed for two or three times as long, eager to work with the 5- and 6-year-olds she helped, focusing on kids with special needs. ”We grew close. I think they really connected (with me) when they learned I could speak Spanish."

"Martina became a partner," said teacher Jaclyn Thompson. "I couldn't wait until she arrived, and neither could the kids.

"It was a sense of relief to have someone so dedicated, especially to deal with the challenges following Covid," Thompson said.

Colleagues who worked with other Root 2 Rise students were equally enthusiastic.

“I wish I had received this kind of help when I was younger,” Sancristobal said. “Growing up, I always wished I had teachers who looked like me.”

The prospect of participating in Root 2 Rise was so appealing that Martina was willing to pay to do so – and was pleasantly surprised to learn that she would would receive a stipend for completing the program.

Martina felt “disconnected” from school at the end of her junior year, a feeling that vanished when she joined Root 2 Rise. “I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything," she said. She now plans to pursue a career in education.