Nimitz Middle School Administrative Assistant Lily Blanchard recently graduated from The University of Houston. Unfortunately, she and her family couldn’t attend the official graduation ceremony, so her North East ISD family put together their own graduation ceremony for her.
“It means so much. This is my home. It feels like home. It means a lot to my mom to see me walk the stage,” said Blanchard.
“She’s worked so hard,” said Nimitz Principal Jennifer Cooper. “We are so proud of her and what she’s done. We had to celebrate her.”
But the story behind the diploma is even more incredible than the moment she walked the stage.
“When I started here as an ESL Clerk, we had a lot of kids from The Congo come in, and seeing that other kids don’t have what we have here in America inspired me to get my degree and be a Family Specialist for North East. I saw how Mrs. Fernandez helped those kids and her impact on them, and that’s what I want to do. I want to impact those children too.”
Nimitz Family Specialist Sandra Fernandez didn’t only show Blanchard the impact she could make, but she helped her achieve her dreams.
“I told her I want to do what you do. I want to help these kids; I don’t just want to be a secretary. And she’s the one who pushed me and helped me fill out my FAFSA and my college application. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have even started. Sandra Fernandez helped me through all of it. She’s amazing.”
While Fernandez is amazing and making an incredible impact, Blanchard is too. Former Nimitz students, who now attend Legacy of Educational Excellence (LEE) High School, sometimes come back to Nimitz to visit her.
“When I have kids from LEE High School come and say, ‘Hi,’ and tell me that I helped them through things,” said Blanchard fighting back the tears. “Even as a secretary, you can make a change, so imagine the change you can make when you are in a bigger position.”
Now that she has her degree, Blanchard is ready to make that bigger impact.
“Now, I want to continue to work with the community I know and love. I had people who were here to help me. I have Mrs. Cooper, who is here to help me. Mrs. Fernandez is here to inspire me. I want to make that kind of difference for kids.”
Blanchard isn’t done learning. She will start her a master’s program in Social Work later this year.
Lily is reaching goals and making an impact #theNEISDway
