Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Summer 2016 | Page 27

Recent Ryan High School graduate Ti Anna Bridges-Reed
poses with her diploma at her school’s commencement
ceremony on Friday, June 3.

Ti Anna Bridges-Reed walks into the University of North
Texas Coliseum as she prepares to graduate from Ryan
High School on Friday, June 3. Ti Anna credits Evers Park
teacher Carrie Martin for putting faith in her to reach her
educational goals.

help her out – hopefully impact her life – again,”
she said. “I remember the moment seven years
ago when I pulled her in the hallway and told her I
knew she’d pass. It’s such an amazing experience
as a teacher knowing you can make an impact
like that on someone’s life for the better.”

standard of excellence she wants to have as a
teacher with students of her own.

At a ceremony held by Barnes & Noble at Evers
Park Elementary in May, that was evident when
the company rewarded both Ti Anna and Mrs.
Martin for their commitment to education and
each other. Mrs. Martin and Evers Park Elementary
each received $5,000, while Ti Anna received
$500 to use on her college textbooks as well as a
Nook e-reader.

“I always go back and look at my fifth-grade year
when things are hard,” she said. “The transition to
middle school was hard, and the transition from
high school to college will be even harder, but
I know I can do it – as long as I push myself and
remember the faith Mrs. Martin put in me.”

Ti Anna said that, with the exception of her
mother, Mrs. Martin was the individual who most
influenced her to become the person she is today.

While the monetary reward was exciting, Mrs.
Martin said, teachers aren’t expecting to become
rich in their profession – but they do make impacts
and friendships that rival any amount of money.
“Teaching can be a difficult job because you
spend so much time doing it without a break, but
it’s so rewarding because my students tell me
they love me on a daily basis,” she explained.
“When they get that ‘ah-ha’ moment, it makes
it all worthwhile. My husband was recently telling
me he wishes he had a job where he could touch
peoples’ lives, and I feel like I’m able to do that – I
get to do that.”
As for Ti Anna, she plans to attend North Central
Texas College before transferring to Texas
Woman’s University and pursuing a teaching
degree. Her winning essay cites Mrs. Martin’s
commitment to tutoring her after school as
a turning point in her educational journey, a

Mrs. Martin instructs her second-grade class at Evers Park
Elementary. Her students, both current and former, have come
to know Mrs. Martin as an educator who cares about the
learning of every child and is overjoyed when they succeed.

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