Today’s blog post is by Communities In Schools of Nevada’s Communications Coordinator Nassim Agange.

Erika and Diana

Communities In Schools of Nevada Site Coordinator Erika Araiza (right) helped Diana access resources from the local food bank. Image courtesy Univision.

Most of the students served by Communities In Schools of Nevada are referred to the site coordinator for their poor academic performance and behavior—but Diana Sánchez was not referred to Communities In Schools for those reasons. Diana learned of our organization’s services at her school and decided to seek out assistance on her own. She found her way to the Communities In Schools Resource Room at Rancho High School her junior year when she didn’t have the supplies she needed for class. Diana went to the resource room for notebooks, but left knowing that there was a caring adult on campus she could turn to whenever she needed something, big or small.

Diana is a smart, articulate, and motivated student who built a caring and lasting relationship with the Communities In Schools site coordinator at Rancho High School, Erika Araiza. Diana connected with Araiza almost immediately, and gradually began to feel comfortable asking for more support. Diana never volunteered that she was struggling with hunger; moreover, she didn’t realize it was a problem at all. She learned to accept daily hunger as a reality. It wasn’t until the site coordinator began sharing snacks and connecting Diana to the weekend backpacks provided through the local food bank, that she began to fill that need.

Over the course of the school year, Diana came to trust that Erika Araiza and Communities In Schools would be there for her. The site coordinator became a confidante, academic counselor, and supportive resource that Diana could turn to when she needed additional guidance. Diana admitted that one of her greatest limitations was her family’s lack of resources.

As a senior this year, Diana hopes to continue to do well in school. Diana now knows that Communities In Schools will do whatever it takes to help her stay in school and achieve in life.

Diana, Araiza and Communities In Schools of Nevada were recently profiled by their local Univision station. Check out the video below and read the article (both are in Spanish) here.

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