This school year I had the opportunity to work with many wonderful students at Lake Dallas Middle School. To the majority of them, this school year was their first year being a part of the CIS program. This was the case with Hernan.
The first time Hernan, an eighth grader, set foot in my CIS office was back in October. He came in to get a permission slip for our AT&T field trip. He was very excited to be able to miss school. During the field trip I overheard his conversations with other students, and unfortunately, they were not very positive conversations. I honestly did not know if he would even want to be a part of the CIS program but when I gave him a parent consent form, he brought them back immediately.
The next task was getting Hernan to open up and participate. He was very closed in the beginning and did not really have a future in mind. I was very concerned about him and the future he would have. His grades were not bad but they were not where I knew they could be. After some time of constantly checking on him, asking him to participate and just being available if he needed anything, something started to change.
Hernan began attending our boys group, coming after-school when he needed help, and opening up. After our first real conversation, I realized what an amazing, smart young man I had in front of me! Hernan completely surprised me with how intelligent he was. I knew that all he needed was for someone to believe in him, push him and be there for him.
Hernan’s grades began improving as soon as he started attending tutorials. His teachers even noticed this positive change. In many conversations with them, they praised him and were amazed by his change and his drive. He took a leadership role in many of his classes and with his peers.
Hernan’s goals now are to focus in school, graduate high school and go on to college and major in Business. This student is going accomplish a lot! He has the drive to do it! I will never forget them time he told me, “I just want to wear a suit.” I know he has all the potential to be successful and one day be able to wear the suit he has always dreamed of.
