Meet Jordan

Opportunity That Lasts: Jordan’s Path from Holy Name School to College

When Jordan thinks about his years at Holy Name School, two words immediately come to mind:

“Opportunity and community.”

For Jordan, CUES was never simply the place he went to school. It was a place where people knew his name, understood his family and encouraged him to explore what might be possible for his future.

“I really loved that all the staff knew me,” Jordan said. “They knew my name, and they really got to know me as a person.”

That feeling of being known created something important for Jordan: trust.

It gave him a safe place to try new things, develop his interests and begin imagining a future that stretched beyond the walls of Holy Name.

Jordan graduated from CUES in 2022, but his relationship with CUES did not end when he received his eighth-grade diploma.

Four years later, as he graduated from Roncalli Catholic High School and prepared to become the first person in his family to attend a four-year college, the CUES community was still part of his journey.

“I graduated from CUES in 2022, and today I’m still connected to the CUES community.”

A Family Moving Forward Together

Jordan was raised primarily by his mother, Angelica, and his grandmother, both of whom he describes as his parents.

Jordan also has two siblings connected to Holy Name. His brother Alejandro graduated from Holy Name in 2025, and his sister Alexia is currently a student there.

Education has therefore become something the entire family has experienced through CUES — but the support they have received has extended far beyond school.

Angelica has worked as a certified nursing assistant for more than 20 years. For years, she also carried the idea of someday building something of her own.

Through her family’s relationship with CUES, Angelica connected with Swanny and the Student & Family Support team. When she began exploring the possibility of starting her own business, Swanny referred her to a Microbusiness Asset Development workshop.

That connection helped move an idea closer to reality.

Today, Angelica is in the final stages of opening her own home healthcare business.

Her progress is part of what makes Jordan’s story especially meaningful. As one member of the family prepares to begin college, another is preparing to become a business owner.

“CUES has had a significant impact on me and my family,” Jordan said. “They guided us in the right direction and provided opportunities for us to succeed as a family.”

That is exactly how Jordan views the relationship.

CUES has never been only about his individual success.

The support has reached his mother. It has reached his siblings. It has helped the entire family see and pursue opportunities that can strengthen their future.

A Faith That Became His Own

Jordan’s time at CUES also opened a door he had not expected.

He grew up in a Pentecostal household and did not come to Holy Name as a Catholic student.

But at Holy Name, he was introduced to Catholic teaching, traditions, prayer and a faith-centered school community.

For Jordan, that was the beginning of a much longer journey.

CUES students come from many different social, economic and spiritual backgrounds, and faith is experienced differently by every student. Jordan was given space to learn, ask questions and understand a tradition that was new to him.

When he continued his education at Roncalli Catholic High School, his connection to the Catholic faith deepened.

What began as learning about Catholicism gradually became something personal.

In spring 2025, Jordan chose to be baptized into the Catholic Church.

The decision had been years in the making.

His faith journey began with an introduction at Holy Name, grew throughout high school and ultimately became a choice he made for himself.

Today, it is another part of the foundation he carries into adulthood.

Becoming the First to Attend a 4-Year College

In August 2026, Jordan took another major step.

He began his freshman year at Ripon College in Wisconsin, becoming the first person in his family to attend a four-year college.

He plans to study history, political science and criminal justice with the goal of becoming a paralegal. He will also continue playing soccer as a member of Ripon’s team.

For Jordan, getting to college was never simply about receiving an acceptance letter. Financial stability—and building a secure future for himself—has always been important to him. As soon as he was able, he opened a Roth IRA and began thinking seriously about saving for his future.

He brought that same mindset to planning for college.

Jordan earned multiple scholarships that cover most of his college expenses. Rather than relying heavily on student loans for the remaining costs, he made a plan.

While in Omaha, Jordan worked part-time at FedEx and saved as much as he could. Before leaving for college, he arranged to transfer his job to Wisconsin so he could continue working while attending Ripon and help cover the remainder of his tuition and living expenses.

His goal is ambitious: graduate without student loan debt.

But his approach is characteristic of the young man he has become.

Set a goal.

Understand what it requires.

Make a plan.

And work for it.

That determination—and his desire to create lasting financial stability for his future—has been strengthened by the people who have continued to guide him along the way.

From Opportunity to Possibility

Today, two major dreams are taking shape within the Martinez family.

Jordan is beginning college as the first in his family to attend a four-year institution.

Angelica is preparing to open her own home healthcare business after more than two decades working as a CNA.

Their paths are different, but both reflect what can happen when people have access to relationships, guidance and opportunities that help them move forward.

Jordan’s younger siblings are watching those possibilities unfold, too.

The impact continues.

That is what Jordan means when he talks about “opportunity and community.”

Opportunity gave him the chance to discover new interests, attend Roncalli, earn scholarships and pursue college.

Community gave him people who knew his story and stayed beside his family along the way.

As Jordan begins this next chapter at Ripon College, he carries both with him.

His story is still being written.

But from Holy Name to Roncalli to a college campus in Wisconsin, one thing has remained constant:

Jordan may have graduated from CUES, but he never stopped being part of the CUES family.