Grad discovers potential in herself she hadn’t seen before

Having an opportunity to change the path of your life is one thing. Taking advantage of that opportunity and following through is quite another.

Midway through her sophomore year at Central Valley High School, Trinity Montoya found herself struggling academically and, already behind in credits, was forecasting that she would need at least one extra year to graduate as a “super-senior.”

It was then, though, that a friend who was attending Dishman Hills High School suggested to Montoya that she look into that school. What she saw on the website intrigued her, and it wasn’t long before she transferred from CV.

“There were lots of positives when I checked into it,” Montoya said. “The website said that classes had between eight and 12 students, and that students had lots of one-on-one time with teachers. And it all turned out to be true.”

Montoya, the oldest of three children, said her mother gave her some help in the process, but that she did most of the work herself. When she showed them her research on Dishman Hills, they were as convinced as she was that it was the right move:

“I was nervous about going to a new school and leaving my friends, but I was more upset by the fact that most of my friends at CV were successful in school, and I wasn’t. I couldn’t keep up with the work, and my teachers had so many kids who needed help that I couldn’t get what I needed. I would come home crying about it all the time.

“It wasn’t easy to make everything up, but I told myself that this is your last chance, so if you mess it up, you won’t get another one. It took me a little while to get used to it, but when I did, I put in a lot of work and asked my teachers for help. Even when I was having a hard time, they would work with me and tell me they’d get me through it.”

Montoya’s advisory teacher since she enrolled at Dishman Hills has been Jake Fincher, and he may be her biggest fan.

“Trinity is the embodiment of what a successful student acts like,” he said. “She is empathetic toward her peers and has great relationship skills. She has adopted a growth mindset both academically and personally, and it shows when she is able to overcome adversity. She is the definition of resilience.”

Montoya returns the compliments: “Mr. Fincher saw potential in me that I had never seen in myself. I had never had the amount of support from a teacher that I had from him. If I had issues, he would help me find solutions, and he would push me if that’s what I needed. It’s been important for me to be a leader, to show the other kids, including my brother and sister, that I could be successful and graduate.”

Montoya plans to attend Community Colleges of Spokane in the fall, hoping to prepare for a career as a counselor. She will take as many psychology courses as she can, nurturing her interest in the science of the mind and how to apply that in a therapeutic setting.

“My mom has said many times that Dishman Hills was like a miracle sent from God,” Montoya said, “and I agree with her. My attitude about myself changed there because I got the support I needed.”