Candido Martinez has led an interesting life and he’s still just a teenager. The Huntington High School senior is highly regarded by his classmates and teachers and has quietly compiled a very strong academic and co-curricular record over the past four years.
Mr. Martinez was born in the United States, but a few short month later his mom brought him to live in El Salvador following the death of his grandfather. He returned as a seven year old, beginning first grade at Southdown Primary School. Since then he has been embraced by his classmates and his teachers every step in the way on the road to his graduation.
The teenager is interning this year with the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education, learning all about how a not-for-profit organization operates, from fundraising to the grant application, evaluation and approval process.
A member of Huntington’s National Honor Society chapter, Mr. Martinez is also a member of the English, Science and Social Studies Honor Society. He is the Science Honor Society’s recording secretary.
The teenager’s favorite teachers include Camille Tedeschi, Michael Graziano, Danielle Lusardi, Steven Kroll and Lori Kenny.
“Candido is one of the smartest kids I’ve taught,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “He is quiet and low key, but very analytical. He took AP English in 10th grade with Dianna Molenko since he was such a strong student.”
A member of Huntington’s Interact Club chapter, Mr. Martinez will be the first member of his family to attend college. He hasn’t picked out a college yet, but is interested in pursuing a degree in business or engineering.
Mr. Martinez’s closest friends include Sebastien Velazquez, Danny Arias, Kendrick Camacho, Kevin Alfaro and Christopher Diaz.
The teenager returned to El Salvador last summer for a vacation, but since he’s been back he is completely engrossed in his classes, clubs, honor societies and the Huntington Foundation internship.
Mr. Martinez’s senior year academic schedule includes classes in Advanced Placement Research, AP Calculus AB, AP Micro and Macro Economics, Physics, Science Research and Computer Integrated Manufacturing.
The teenager has enjoyed his time at the high school and in the district in general. “It’s been a great experience,” Mr. Martinez said. “The greatest thing would probably be the diversity that Huntington offers. You can find a bit of everything here and meeting people with such diverse backgrounds is something that is beneficial to not just school, but life and the real world.”