Invictus Student Spotlights

Guadalupe (Lupe) Balbuena has been a student at Invictus since the 7th grade and is currently in the 11th grade. Lupe enjoys her English class the most because Mr. Tjernell makes it “fun and interesting” for her. She expressed that a difference between Invictus and her previous school is how caring the teachers are here and how they are concerned about her grades. Mr. Payne especially pushes her and motivates her to do well in all of her classes. Lupe aspires to get into San Francisco State University and become a traveling nurse. Before Invictus she did not enjoy reading; however that has changed since she read Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen.

Martin Cruz has been in the U.S. for a couple of months. He joined Invictus this school year as a 9th grader. He comes from a rural town in Michoacan Mexico where he only had 6 classmates and is happy that Invictus has a bigger student body. The most significant difference between his school in Mexico and Invictus is that here he has a teacher for each subject when before he had one teacher for all subjects. Mr. Zamudio (his Algebra teacher) motivates and inspires him. He can relate to him since they both are from Michoacan. He admires that Mr. Zamudio “domina el Ingles y Español muy bien” (dominates both English and Spanish so well). He would love to attend UC Berkeley and major in Robotics. At Invictus, he has learned to focus and work hard to get good grades. He loves to be recognized and earn strong moves from his teachers. 

Gabriel Ward is a high school student who has a passion for math and science. His curiosity and love for learning was ignited by Ms. Docking, his 7th-grade teacher, who helped him set the foundation for his academic success. Gabriel holds Ms. Docking in high regard, admiring her “relentless perseverance and dedication to helping students.” Before attending Invictus, Gabriel struggled to enjoy school, but he now finds it fun and engaging. Ms. Docking's influence has had a profound impact on Gabriel's life, inspiring him to pursue his interests and work hard towards his goals.

After high school, he would like to study Biology and/or Engineering at UC Berkeley. Through his dedication and enthusiasm, Gabriel serves as an inspiration to all those who seek to find joy and fulfillment in learning. Since joining Invictus, Gabriel has achieved many accomplishments, but being recognized as the 8th grade Student of the Year has meant the most to him. Due to the pandemic, like most students that year, Gabriel completed his coursework remotely and is proud that he was able to “keep up and do his best during a tough time.”