Jocelyn Hernandez
Reno, NV
As Jocelyn Hernandez wraps up her 9th grade year at Bishop Manogue Catholic High School in Reno, Nev., she can be proud of the accomplishments she has made during her first year in high school, including excelling in her honors classes and accomplishing a 4.14 grade point average. However, there was a time that her mother, Silvia Martinez, feared that she would not be able to afford to send Jocelyn to a school where she would have so much growth.
Born in Mexico, Silvia has spent most of her life in Nevada since relocating to the United States with her family when she was 8 years old. After high school, she attended college, receiving a criminal justice degree but opted to pursue a career in the medical field. She currently serves as a critical care technician, working in the heart unit and monitoring patients’ heart rhythms.
“I originally wanted to be a nurse and started working in the medical field when I was 19 years old,” Silvia explains. “I wanted to help people and so it felt more natural to continue on that path.”
Although she has often felt stretched thin as a single parent, her career has helped her support her family. Besides Jocelyn, Silvia has an adult daughter from her first marriage, Angelica, who is now 31 years old and has a son herself. Angelica attended and graduated from public school. When it was time though for Jocelyn to start kindergarten, Silvia noticed that the quality of public schools in her area had declined and she worried they would not provide the academic environment needed for her daughter’s future success.
“My first daughter did well in our local schools, successfully graduating and eventually earning a criminal justice degree from the University of Nevada,” says Silvia. “However, with a 16-year age gap between my daughters, you can imagine that things had changed over the years as far as quality of education and environment. We were dealing with a different set of circumstances and, as a parent, I had to make the right choice for my daughter to ensure she would have a safe and nurturing place to learn and grow.”
Silvia registered Jocelyn at St. Albert The Great Catholic School, where she built a strong academic base during her elementary school years. Still, making that choice required some sacrifices.
“Paying tuition was always a challenge, but I knew it was worth it for my daughter’s education,” explains Silvia. “Over time, it became harder to afford, especially with economic changes, and I feared I’d have to withdraw her from a school where she was thriving.”
Determined to explore all available options, Silvia discovered the AAA Scholarship Foundation (AAA), which allowed her to secure a scholarship for Jocelyn so she could remain at St. Albert and later attend Bishop Manogue.
Jocelyn excelled during her elementary and middle school years at St. Albert, consistently making the honor roll and receiving president’s awards. Her passion for history is now influencing her future ambitions, which include pursuing a law degree and ultimately becoming a judge. Alongside honors courses and a high GPA, she is a member of the varsity cheer team and competed in the national competition in Orlando, Fla. this year. Looking ahead, Jocelyn plans to enroll in AP classes next year and begin exploring colleges and universities to further her career goals.
“As a single parent with limited financial resources, I have chosen to make sacrifices to ensure my daughter attends a school that will support her future ambitions, as I believe education is the key to success,” says Silvia. “AAA Scholarship Foundation and its donors have given us a priceless gift – alleviating the financial burden and enabling my daughter to pursue her dreams. I am sincerely grateful for your support!”
About AAA Scholarship Foundation
The typical AAA Scholarship student is either below grade level, failing at their previous school, or both, when they receive an income-based scholarship. Parents who find their children in these circumstances and care about their future look for viable options. They seek an atmosphere that challenges and engages their child to reverse inappropriate learning and/or social patterns and the lifelong negative impact they imply. They wish to change their child’s learning environment, acquaintances and the unfortunate predictable outcomes associated with school failure. Another is the first-time student, who is just entering kindergarten. Parents, wanting to empower their child’s academic journey from day one, choose the AAA scholarship so that their child will have a quality education tailored specifically for their learning needs ensuring their time in school is a seamless experience from K-12. Your contributions to AAA provide the lifelines that these parents need.
AAA Scholarships are funded in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Nevada by companies that redirect a portion of their state tax liability to the AAA Scholarship Foundation in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. AAA Scholarship Foundation is one of the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarship organizations approved to administer these legislatively authorized tax credit scholarship programs in multiple states. AAA Scholarship Foundation provides your company with the convenience and efficiency of a single solution for participating in multiple state tax credit scholarship programs. For more information, or to learn how your company can participate in the program, visit www.AAAScholarships.org, or contact Kerri Vaughan at kerri @ aaascholarships.org or 888-707-2465 ext. 730.