A Message from the President

Allison Rivera, President
Saint Martin de Porres Academy

I began my journey at Saint Martin de Porres Academy when we opened the school in 2005. As we welcomed our first little 5th graders into our building, I could barely wrap my head around the notion that everyone at SMPA believed that our students would graduate from college as members of the Class of 2017. It was the promise we made to them – a twelve-year commitment of education and opportunity. Thanks to our incredible volunteer leadership and to good people like you, it is the promise that we’ve made to each of our 242 students and graduates.

As President of the Academy since 2010, I have focused my efforts on strengthening and building a holistic learning environment that educates and supports the whole child. We are a learning organization.  We know what it takes to provide the absolute best opportunity for our students to break the cycle of poverty.  We give them the tools they need to thrive in prestigious private high schools and in colleges and universities, all of which enculturates them into middle class life.

Working strategically to create a sustainable institution with a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning has been my greatest joy. At the Academy, we put just as much emphasis on what happens in the classroom as what happens in the music room, art class, the theater, at camp, on the field, a farm or a field trip exploring the sights of a new city. A focus on spiritual development and on experiential learning has become our hallmark. It is what sets us apart. It is what makes us a success.

Children living in poverty come to us with resilience and grit. We teach them how to hone their skills as they discover and cultivate their gifts and talents. We give them the opportunity to change the trajectory of their lives and to be leaders in their communities. We open the window to possibility.

Thank you to those who have journeyed with us throughout these first formative years, and welcome to those who have only recently joined our family. Together, we will continue to make possible a world of opportunity for the children who need it most.

Sincerely,

Allison Rivera