New Vision: Isabella Martin overcame obstacles to reach graduation

Despite losing her mom her sophomore year due to COVID-19 and missing her entire sophomore year, Isabella Martin is still managing to graduate with her class this year at New Vision High School in Post Falls.

For Martin’s freshman year, she attended Post Falls High School and planned to do the same her sophomore year until the week before.

“During my sophomore year, my mother died the week before so I ended up dropping out that year,” she said. “I didn’t gain any credits that year so I had to make up three years of credits in two.”

The loss of her mother was hard to overcome, however with the support of her family and New Vision, Martin has been able to get on the right track for finishing senior year. Martin has attended New Vision for her junior and senior years of high school.

“You don’t realize sometimes when you carry a lot of pain until you can start sharing and realize from another perspective how better your world is from where you’ve been,” said Richard Martin, Isabella’s father.

Martin is taking three online classes on top of her regular classes to finish the school year with all the credits she needs to graduate.

Nick Groth, a teacher at New Vision, taught Martin in both study skills and speech class. Through Martin’s past two years at New Vision, Groth has seen her grow as a person and come out of her shell.

“She shows what the model student is,” he said. “She came to us behind in credits and she worked her tail off to get caught up and graduate on time and she did.”

However, Martin credits a lot of her success to the school, the staff and the friendships she has made.

“When I first got there I didn’t know anyone and the teachers were very warm and welcoming,” she said.

Martin was able to form relationships that she will take with her in the next step in her life.

“It means everything, that’s kind of why any teacher gets into the career field, more so at an alternative school because they come to us and they’re behind on credits or life’s kind of dragging them down pretty hard,” Groth said. “To have someone take a year off with her circumstances, it’s pretty amazing to see someone that young graduate on time.”

After graduation, Martin plans on attending Paul Mitchell the School in Coeur d’Alene to get her cosmetology license. Once the course is completed, she hopes to build up her portfolio and name.

Martin has always had an interest in hair and makeup, so she is looking forward to pursuing it as a career.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I always watched my mom do her makeup and as I got older that’s actually how me and her bonded,” Martin said.

Richard Martin is extremely proud of his daughter and the growth she has made over the past few years. He describes everything she has managed to do as a “miracle” and is grateful she pushed herself to do it.

“I know that when I was her age I had no direction, it took me another 10 years to figure my profession out,” Richard Martin said. “The history that we’ve made to get through 18 years is really serious … It’s been a lot. Bella has turned a lot around.”