Portable Education Benefits Traveling Soccer Player

By Leslie Cranford, Section Manager

With a constant travel schedule between club soccer and Mexico’s national team, Jade Martinez, a Texas Tech High School sophomore, has traveled just this year to Spain, the Czech Republic, Italy, Dominican Republic and India and still gets her schoolwork done.

Jade was highlighted earlier this year for National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

Juan Martinez, Jade’s dad, says they are fortunate to have found TTU K-12. She has been a student in Texas Tech High School for about a year.

“The flexibility to be able to travel with Mexico’s national team and continue her education was a blessing,” he said. “As a parent, I’ve seen firsthand the discipline it takes to transition from traditional school to online. The transition was challenging but now that Jade is acclimated, we are happy to have made the decision.”

Jade says transitioning from a private school to online school was a huge change, but TTU K-12 assisted her in making the transition as smooth as possible.

“I absolutely love being a part of this program, as it helps me grow as a student athlete,” she added. “I have no doubt that this program will help me prepare for college because I have had to deal with time management due to my travels for soccer. The teachers are very quick to answer when I have a few questions over a certain lesson, and it is very easy to get the hang of navigating through the Blackboard platform.”

Aside from time management, Juan and Tiffanie, Jade’s mom, believe TTU K-12 teaches other important skills such as problem solving and self-discipline. Juan says these are all skills students will need in college and beyond.

“Jade committed in August to furthering her education and playing soccer at Baylor University,” he added. “Jade would like to become a physical therapist in the future.”

Jade says the self-paced nature of the program is a big benefit.

“This allows me to try to graduate early so that I can report to college and get a head start,” she said.

The family is unanimous in its appreciation for the flexibility of the program.

“We appreciate the ability to start school as early or as late as possible based on that week’s schedule,” Juan said. “Jade can also get ahead working on weekends and that the goal is to be consistent each day.”

The Martinez family is all about soccer, as Juan is president and executive director of a club soccer organization. They have three children; the oldest is Jordan, a senior at the University of Tulsa. Jade has a twin brother, Joshua. Not surprisingly, all three play soccer.

Outside of soccer and schoolwork, Jade does have other interests. Besides having friends come over or going over to friends’ houses, Jade says she likes dancing. This past year she enjoyed attending multiple quinceañeras.

From a parent perspective, Juan suggests other families check out TTU K-12 if they need flexibility with a school schedule for whatever reason.

“I highly recommend TTU K-12,” Juan said. “The curriculum is very good, and everyone is eager to help you succeed. For Jade, it was the best decision we could have made to allow her to follow her dreams.”