The Guardsmen Scholarship Program - Success Stories - Students

		Eric Brewer

		Nicole Herrera

		Perry Miska

		Cameron Hayes & Kevin Lewis

		Simone Miles

Eric Brewer
8th Grader, S.R. Martin School, San Francisco

Shy and soft-spoken, Eric Brewer would easily get lost in the rough and tumble of his huge, overcrowded public elementary school. Vanessa Brewer, Eric's mom, says there were "kids everywhere, always fighting. You could cut the stress with a knife."

Pulled along in a tidal wave of kids, Eric had been advanced to the fifth grade without the necessary skills and knowledge. He was teased and belittled by other students as he struggled academically and acted out. Meanwhile, at home, he watched as his two beloved sisters fought against AIDS and died. Eric, only 11 years old, was emotionally and academically drained.

All of that changed two years ago when Eric transferred to S.R. Martin with the help of a Guardsmen scholarship. With only 51 students and a teacher-to-pupil ratio of one to five, S.R. Martin teachers quickly understood that Eric had foundered in part because he was grieving the deaths of his sisters. At S.R. Martin, he's getting both the intellectual attention and emotional nurturing he needs to catch up. "He used to be so angry," his mom recalls. "Now," says Mary Martin, school principal, "Eric is smiling."

Eric has advanced from the special education classes he took when he first entered S.R. Martin to mainstream academics and is progressing steadily, says Martin. Eric especially enjoys language arts and social studies. A current topic of interest is the Philippine Islands, which he enthusiastically pointed out on a map to a recent visitor. "He has great potential, and yet he needs nurturing and a small environment to become a reliable citizen and a responsible person. Education will get him there," Martin says.

Eric's mom Vanessa, who juggles a full-time job while working toward a dual B.A. in Black Psychology and Criminal Justice, adds, "The kids at this school, they've got plans. They've got heart because Mrs. Martin gives them a vision." Right now Eric's vision includes college at Florida State University, maybe even football. He's still a typical kid, however; he reports that his least favorite subject at S.R. Martin is—you guessed it—PSAT class.


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