Moving from Ecuador to the United States at age 7, Ariana Martinez grew up bilingual, with English as her second language. What began as an academic challenge, though, soon became something more. Martinez developed a deep appreciation for the language and made it a defining part of her identity. Now, Martinez is joining Trinity Prep as a new teaching and coaching fellow in the middle school faculty.
“English for me has always been my favorite subject,” Martinez said. “When I was learning how to speak English, literature and grammar became such a big part of me. I’ve always been interested in it.”
As a fellow, a role focused on classroom observation and professional development, Martinez has been observing different English classes across the middle school. While it is not yet certain when she will begin teaching her own students, Martinez plans to bring her personal teaching philosophy into the classroom.
“I’ve described it as keeping an open mind, especially now in this environment,” Martinez said. “I think it’s about meeting students where they’re at and understanding that everybody learns at a different pace.”
Martinez’s emphasis on openness and understanding is a core principle in teaching English, where listening to students is often as important as direct instruction.
“You have to listen to what students are trying to convey to you,” English Department Chair Chad Pentler said. “You have to be able to sit back and be able to really hear where they’re coming from and from their perspective, instead of just putting out your own way of doing a particular skill, like writing.”
In addition to her work in the classroom, Martinez will coach the middle school developmental tennis team this year, a role that connects directly to her lifelong involvement in the sport. Tennis has long been a central part of Martinez’s life. She began playing at age 4 and started competing seriously around age 7, continuing her development in Miami at her parents’ tennis academy.
“Every single person in my family plays tennis,” Martinez said. “It’s pretty much a requirement for us to play tennis. Since we’re all Ecuadorian, it’s so important for us to keep that tradition going in our family.”
Martinez later continued playing tennis at Lake Highland Prep, where she was named Student of the Year and helped the team secure a state championship in 2014. However, an injury at the end of her sophomore year ultimately prevented her from playing college tennis, but the experience became a turning point in her life.
“Being injured like that took an incredible mental toll,” Martinez said. “ So I definitely learned to take it easy, to not be too hard on yourself. It’s definitely something that each student athlete should know.”
Martinez’s experience as a student-athlete also exposed her to the challenges that come with managing both school and sports, a perspective she hopes to apply when coaching the middle school developmental tennis team this year.
“You have all this academic stress and are trying to be the best athlete that you can,” Martinez said. “I understand when every single kid is coming up to you being stressed about all this coursework and being this athlete. So that’s something that I definitely am going to take into my coaching.”
Martinez also sees a clear connection between tennis and academics, particularly when it comes to setting goals.
“Tennis is a personal sport,” Martinez said. “It’s about setting these goals for yourself and making sure you meet them, which is the same thing with academics.”
That focus on student support carries into Martinez’s role as a co-advisor for math teacher Stefani Wood’s advisory, where she works with students on a personal level.
“She just always has a smile on her face, and she always starts conversations with us,” 7th grader Chelsea Cropper said. “It’s like we all have the same thoughts and I can always rant to her. It just makes me feel so comfortable talking to her.”
Whether she is exploring teaching English, supporting students in advisory or coaching on the tennis court, all those experiences come back to the same lesson Martinez learned early on as an athlete.
“Tennis is a solo sport,” Martinez said. “There’s nobody else to blame on that court except me. So that’s something that I’ve taken into account in my everyday life. I have to take accountability for everything I do. And any successes that I have are because of me, and any downs that I have are also because of me.”
