CIS and the Carson Honor Society

Communities In Schools of New Mexico is thrilled to announce Capital High School seniors, Wendi Diaz and Jordan Pacheco have been inaugurated into the Carson Honor Society. This distinction celebrates high school seniors served by Communities In Schools that have overcome obstacles and persevered to remain on a path to graduation. The Carson Honor Society was established by the CIS of New Mexico Board of Directors in 2019 in recognition of the contribution of Bill and Georgia Carson the founding members of Communities In Schools of New Mexico.

Wendi Diaz As a freshman, Wendi found engaging in school challenging and as a result, attending school was sometimes difficult. Wendi met CIS Site Coordinator, Heather Sellers, through the Girls Inc. group she facilitated on campus and soon Wendi became one of Heather's case managed students. With Heather's encouragement and support, Wendi joined the school’s dance team while continuing to develop a strong partnership and relationship with Heather. This year, Wendi’s senior year got off to a difficult start with the tragic loss of a close friend and classmate. Wendi’s resiliency and rigor prevailed as she worked hard to maintain her grades in her final year of high school. She has been accepted to two nursing programs and is determined to become a nurse to help others in New Mexico. We are so proud of Wendi!

Jordan Pacheco When Jordan was first introduced to CIS Site Coordinator, "Sinte" Torrez, he was failing some of his classes, which made him ineligible to play on the school’s soccer team. With a passion for the game, Jordan joined Sinte’s soccer club, and soon Sinte was coaching his academic performance as well. “Jordan is clearly an intelligent young man – he didn’t need tutoring, but encouragement, inspiration and guidance," stated Sinte. Jordan learned to keep his head in his books, which eventually paid off and saw him back on the Capital High School Varsity Soccer Team. He made the most of soccer this past year, earning Second Team All Conference and tying for the leading scorer on his (State Qualifying) team. Jordan has recently been approached by several colleges with scholarship opportunities. Said Sinte, “It is profound to watch students find their passion and harness their abilities to create opportunities they might not have thought possible."