Stemming from a decision she made while homeless at just 13 years of age, Amanda Martinez made a commitment to her education in order to live a better life. Now a University of San Diego freshman, Martinez, 17, is currently attending classes this fall on a full four-year scholarship.
Due to a combination of family misfortunes “” including her parents’ divorce and drug and money problems “” Martinez, as well as her mother and sisters, found themselves homeless when Martinez was just 3 years old, according to Martinez.
After moving from hotel to hotel and ultimately into an abandoned house with no electricity or water, Martinez said she made the decision to seek help at an emergency shelter for homeless teens.
“It was a choice between school and my family and having to go from hotel to hotel “¦ and my decision was to tell my mom, ‘I gotta go,’ and they told me about an emergency center called Storefront,” she explained.
According to its Web site, www.sdycs.org, ‘The Storefront is San Diego’s only emergency shelter program for homeless, runaway and “street” youth.’
Its location is confidential in order to protect teen residents, age 12-17, from potential domestic violence or exploitation situations, according to Jan Stankus-Nakano, director of Storefront.
After residing at the facility for 10 months on a waiting list, Martinez said she was transitioned to Toussaint Academy of Arts and Sciences (TAAS).
Run by Father Joe’s Villages, a nonprofit charity, TAAS in Downtown San Diego has served hundreds of homeless teens since 1992.
While residing at the Academy, teens enjoy a rich academic and social curriculum filled with a unique blend of arts and science, according to a press release.
During her stay at the Toussaint Academy, Martinez explained that she worked a part-time job and graduated from San Diego High School last spring as class president with a grade point average of 3.67.
As to what inspired the push to excel at her education, Martinez explained that she hopes it will lead her into a position to help both her younger brother and sister in the future.
She said she hopes to become independent and self-sufficient enough to gain security for herself and others around her.
“I couldn’t put myself through the same thing I did when I was little,” she said.
When the news arose about the potential scholarship, Martinez said she couldn’t believe it at first. “I’ve been through everything that I’ve been through, and this was just a major accomplishment,” she said. “It came as a surprise that I actually got into a university.”
Martinez explained that James Brennan, a member of Toussaint Youth Villages’ board of directors who assisted her with securing the scholarship, was among the first to tell her of the opportunity.
“They brought this to my attention, and I was like, ‘you know what?’ I’ll do it,” she explained. “Everything just kept falling into place.”
Currently living on the USD campus in the hills of Linda Vista and attending classes “” including college writing, ethnic studies and math “” Martinez said she’s still getting accustomed to her new surroundings.
“Even when I was moving in, it didn’t hit me that I was a college student,” she explained.
Martinez said she’s currently in the process of figuring out where she wants to focus with her studies.
“I want to major in biology and work my way up to veterinary school, but I’m still kind of in the process of making my decision,” she said.
When she delivered the news of her accomplishment to her mother, Martinez said she was overcome with positive emotion.
“She started crying,” Martinez explained.
For other teens that may find themselves in similar positions of homelessness, Martinez encourages them not to lose hope.
“It may be hard to a point that you want to give up, but you should keep going,” Martinez said.
For more information on Father Joe’s Villages, go to www.fatherjoesvillages.org.