Mentor Spotlight: Joselyn Martinez Moreira

Joselyn’s story started in El Salvador, where she graduated from high school at age 16.  Inspired by her grandmother’s insistence that she obtain a 4-year college degree, Joselyn leaned on that counsel as she made the difficult switch to studying in the United States, with limited English proficiency.

Armed with sheer determination, she arrived in the US with one clear goal–to earn an engineering degree and to graduate from a US university. 

She first tackled the problem of improving her English skills by enrolling in a high school program in Arlington, Virginia, where she improved her English skills. Several teachers and a school counselor saw Joselyn’s potential and the grit she exhibited and took her under their wing. They not only improved Joseylyn’s english, but they walked her through the complex college application process and guided her through the scholarship and funding applications.

Joselyn won the  Esperanza Fund Scholarship, which not only provided financial assistance but provided a college mentor.  She was admitted to Virginia Tech and credits her college mentor who played a pivotal role in helping her graduate successfully from Virginia Tech.

Today, Joselyn is a manager in the consulting industry at Accenture. She is passionate about mentoring and this past year she mentored a Reach Foundation low-income first gen high school senior through the college application and funding process.   

Her student Alondra was awarded a Reach Scholarship for the next 5 years in college and provided a mentor to ensure college success.  Joselyn will be her Reach College mentor. 

Mentoring a low-income first gen student of color through their high school senior year and then through college is how the Reach Foundation graduates 85% of our students with a 4 year degree, compared to the national average of 12%.  

Come find out how you can make a difference.  We are actively recruiting mentors in July to help mentor our new high school seniors.