Ruviselia “Ruvi” Martinez is our new Site Coordinator at Shuksan Middle School.
Ruvi was born in Bellingham, Washington, after her parents migrated from Mexico. She is the second of five siblings and they grew up in Sterling Meadows Housing, a
community for migrant families who work in farming and seasonal work, where she
gained tools to succeed in life. Like many of the students served by CIS, she had to learn English in school, since her family spoke Spanish at home. Ruvi attended
Shuksan Middle School, and she is so excited and honored to return there as the CIS Site Coordinator.
She will always be thankful for and inspired by the mentors and teachers who supported her in school, and she proudly graduated from high school – the first one in her family to earn a diploma. Ruvi has a special place in her heart for students who experience homelessness, insecurity due to immigration, language barriers or bullying because she has lived through all of this. Her passion to help others is rooted in deeply understanding that with help and support at the right time, young people can develop confidence and become successful. Compassionate listening, and building trust are foundational in her approach to building meaningful connections with middle school students.
Ruvi uses her voice for others who are unable and shares her experience of
homelessness in our community. In 2019, Ruvi spoke at the Heart for Housing for Lydia Place. In 2024, she spoke with Governor Jay Inslee about the needs of the Hispanic community.
Ruvi’s experience working at SeaMar Community Health Center and serving on the
Board of Directors at Lydia Place gave her a comprehensive knowledge of resources in our community, and how to advocate for families who only speak Spanish. She loves to see them access the opportunities that do exist and help them connect. She looks forward to bringing these skills to Shuksan Middle School. Ruvi believes education is key to success in life, and her goal is for each student to move on to high school prepared academically, socially and emotionally to do well there and graduate.
The center of Ruvi’s life is her family: her husband and her two daughters. When not working, she loves to find interesting and fun activities to share together, such as visiting the aquarium and the zoo in Seattle. She also loves camping, family road trips, photography, DIY projects, coaching mini cheer, and coffee on rainy days.
Ruvi wants to thank Alicia (Family Resource) and Tyler (Principal) from Irene Reither, her family, and her childhood Site Coordinator for helping her through this amazing journey. Without their support and love she wouldn’t be spreading her butterfly wings.
From Avoidant to Confident
Ruvi shares the incredible progress one of her students has made this year.
