Martina R Estrada
Martina Estrada has been nominated as the Arizona Cardinals 2023 Inspire Change Changemaker Awardee. Martina currently serves as the Family Support Specialist at Adams Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona. Adams Elementary School is a part of the largest school district in Arizona (Mesa Public Schools) and 85% of their students are eligible for free and/or reduced lunches.
Martina has been a staple in the community and has worked with Mesa Public Schools for 14 years. In her role as Family Support Specialist, Martina assists teachers and staff by providing families with the resources needed to meet students' educational, emotional, and social needs. Family Support Specialists' roles vary at each school as they are tailored to meet the needs of their student demographic. Since Martina overwhelmingly serves students from low-income families, she has started many programs to aid Adams Elementary School's students and families in key areas such as education, economic advancement, and hunger relief.
She has worked with her nonprofit of choice, Arizona Brain Food, for years to provide meals for unhoused students at Adams Elementary School. Martina has been instrumental in helping the Arizona Cardinals identify and target youth in need of assistance. Martina's work has helped amplifying existing programs such as "Shoes For Kids," which helps fund shoes for students that are homeless or below the poverty line via monetary and physical donations. In partnership with the Cardinals organization, Martina has helped bring once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to students and staff through heritage month events, game day activations, and educational programs.
Martina's work isn't just restricted to the hallways of Adams Elementary School. Martina believes in leading by example, no matter how hard the job gets. She has helped families facing eviction get access to their belongings and assisted immigrant families in assimilating into their new homes, supporting many members of the the greater Phoenix community. Martina Estrada exemplifies the true meaning of a changemaker— changing the lives of one family at a time.