You Are Never Too Young to Take On a Big Role

You Are Never Too Young to Take On a Big Role

By Jadi Taveras, Head of School

Esperanza Academy

For most of us, middle school was a long time ago. We often get the question: Does a middle school experience really make a difference? Nuryelis “Nury” Herrera says yes.

Nury was one of Esperanza’s earliest students. She graduated from Esperanza in 2012 before going on to Brooks School and then graduating from The College of the Holy Cross this past spring.

Looking back, she can see how Esperanza prepared her for Brooks and Holy Cross.

“At Esperanza, I complained about the amount of work I had. But I think that prepared me in a way that when I got to Brooks, I knew how to manage my time. I knew what was expected of me. I had the skills to be successful, to use a planner, to seek help from the teachers…”

Nury said that she arrived at Brooks ready for the classroom. “I remember going into Brooks and I already knew what was going on in the math class because of my experience at Esperanza.”

Her Esperanza math classes also helped bring out Nury’s leadership skills:

“A time that really sticks out to me is when Mr. [Jim] Nichols had me lead our math class. He had a rotation where we would have a set of problems and then a student-led other students so that we could learn from each other in that way. Honestly, that was probably one of the first leadership experiences I had. But I think the small class size was a big help. It made it a lot more comfortable. If someone made a mistake, it was okay.”

Nury’s leadership skills and her self-confidence helped her in high school and college. She became comfortable enough to go up to a table of students, introducing herself, and sitting with them.

She is grateful that Esperanza is “always there for us”. Esperanza’s Graduate Support Program helped her with the admissions processes, to decide what schools to attend, and with all the financial aid forms. “It’s amazing that by going to Esperanza, you’re able to have that guidance throughout high school and college and even beyond.”

Where is Nury now? She has brought her talents back to Lawrence.

In 2018 and 2019, she had internships over her winter break at City Hall. Through self-advocacy and an honest conversation with the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, she asked for and was offered a position, as Special Assistant to the Mayor. She manages the mayor’s schedule, special projects, and responds to citizen calls and visits. Amid the COVID crisis, she helps connect residents with much-needed resources available through government and nonprofit organizations.

Nury loves Lawrence. “Lawrence is a great city that has a lot more coming in the future.” She specifically cited progress in terms of downtown redevelopment, housing, jobs, and the arts. And her favorite thing? “The food. All the different food options available.”

She’s excited to see how the city develops and to be a part of the city’s future. Working for the city is giving her real opportunities to help people in the city while continuing to grow and learn from her co-workers.

Nury’s journey is remarkable thus far and we are excited to witness her on-going success. We asked her how she stays so grounded and how she replenishes the optimism she has when she looks to the future. In response, Nury talked about her family, especially her Mom.

Her mother continues to be her biggest source of encouragement and it is from her mother that she learned the value of asking for help and being open to learn from others. She also relies on her Catholic faith and she starts every day with a book of inspirational quotes. As a dance team veteran, you can be sure that there is some time for music every day.

Nury hopes that future Esperanza students will feel the same support and encouragement that she does. And, her number one message to future Esperanza graduates is that “you are never too young to take on a big role.”