When Cindy Sanchez transferred to Dublin High School her sophomore year from a school in Dallas, she had no plans to go to college. But thanks to the supportive and motivated students she met in Dublin, Sanchez changed her mind and decided to earn her bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate. Now more than a decade into her career as a teacher, Sanchez is thriving and grateful for the opportunities she’s had throughout her life.
Sanchez graduated from Dublin High School in 2008, and went on to Ranger Junior College for one semester. She then transferred to Tarleton State University to study education, and earned her Bachelor’s and teaching certificate in 2012.
After graduation, Sanchez wanted to move back to the Metroplex. She had grown up there until her sophomore year of high school, when her family moved to Dublin and her parents opened Many’s Mini Mart.
The family still had a house in Plano, so Sanchez moved back in 2012 and found a job teaching fourth grade at Dallas ISD. “The first year was difficult,” she said. “I was brand new to teaching, and it was a learning experience especially because it was fourth grade so they were STAAR testing.”
She enjoyed the challenge, though, and by the end of the year she felt more confident as a teacher. The next year, Sanchez found a job opening at Plano ISD teaching 2nd grade bilingual students. She loved her new job, and ended up staying for seven years and even winning Teacher of the Year in 2021.
Sanchez’ classes ranged from 12 to 24 students, and she put a lot of work into planning activities for them. She’d often stay late, sometimes leaving the school at 10 p.m.
In 2021, Sanchez got married to her childhood friend Samuel Medina, and his job took the couple to Athens, Texas. The next year, she started a new job at Athens ISD teaching bilingual students in kindergarten and first grade.
She’s been enjoying the slower pace of the small town school. Athens Elementary only has classes four days a week, and Sanchez rarely has to stay later than 6:30 to keep up with the workload.
“I love it here so far,” she said. “It’s a small town, everyone knows each other. Everyone’s very friendly and very helpful. The parents [are great] as well; there’s a lot of parent involvement.”
Sanchez has also appreciated the school for providing more supplies. “They have school money for whatever activity I want to do,” she said. “If I need food or some extra craft supplies, they actually buy it. Back in Plano, I was always spending my own money.”
Sanchez finds teaching to be very rewarding, and is grateful to be able to be a safe and supportive presence in her students’ lives. “It’s challenging, it takes a lot of patience, but the little ones make me smile every day,” she said.
Sanchez and her husband plan to stay in Athens, and Sanchez plans to continue teaching for the foreseeable future. “We’re comfortable, we like it here, and I love teaching, so I don’t think I’m leaving this profession,” she said.
When Sanchez has free time on the weekends, she enjoys going into the city for shopping, or spending time with her husband. When she’s off work in the summer, she loves traveling. “Last summer we went to Turks and Caicos,” she said. “And we take little trips, like weekend trips, like to Mexico or Tennessee.”
She also goes back to Dublin quite often. Her parents, Manuel and Rosalba Sanchez, still live in town and continue to run Many’s Mini Mart.
Sanchez’ advice to future Dublin graduates is to give college a try and see if it’s the right path for them. “I had no plans of going to school at all,” she said. “My motivation was the people around me. [When I was growing up in Dallas], most of my friends had no future goals and like aspirations. When I moved to Dublin and my friends started talking about the future, I was like, ‘Wow, you guys are actually thinking about going to college.’” Sanchez decided she would give it a try, and has never looked back. “My advice is to at least try to go to college,” she said. “If it’s not what you like, do something else. But I do recommend going to school and you’ll probably find something you love.”
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen. com.