Every Veterans Day, Georgetown ISD reflects on the sacrifices of those who have served our country. Beyond campus parades, performances, and ceremonies, our gratitude extends into conversations with veterans whose military service has evolved into a lifelong passion for education.
Zaida Diaz, Jerome Martinez and Yashundra Meriwether hold different roles in Georgetown ISD, but they are united by their shared experiences as military veterans.
Zaida Diaz
“In the military, you learn and you live as a team,” Diaz said. “As a teacher, it’s the same. We build our own community, and together we adapt and overcome.”
Diaz volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army after she found herself in pursuit of a better life. Before enlisting, she worked as a teacher in Puerto Rico. And after completing eight years of military service, she rediscovered her love for teaching.
“It was a pleasure and an honor to serve in the army,” Diaz said. “Now, I am still serving, just in a different way. I love it here, and it’s only going to get better.”
Today, Diaz serves Georgetown ISD as a 5th grade dual language teacher at Williams Elementary.
Jerome Martinez
Martinez joined the U.S. Army during his senior year of high school.
“I enlisted for a better life,” Martinez said. “I was going down the wrong path, and higher education was not financially feasible for me.”
Martinez served for a total of 20 years, three months and 19 days as a communication device repairer, and during that time, he visited 30 countries and eight states.
“Before serving, all I knew was my little area in Houston where I grew up,” Martinez said. “Then I joined the military and saw the world through various languages and cultures.”
At the end of his service, Martinez started a custodial job at Purl Elementary while he planned his next steps. That planning period slowly turned into a permanent career.
“I got an opportunity to serve as a paraprofessional in Pre-K, and I took it,” Martinez said. “Year after year, when I thought my time might be finished in education, I kept coming back. I’m meant to be here.”
Today, Martinez continues that service as a safety lead at Purl Elementary.
Yashundra Meriwether
Meriwether served in the U.S. Navy for four years, three months and 28 days. She worked as a cryptologic technician in Scotland and a military police soldier in Diego Garcia.
Much like Diaz and Martinez, Meriwether’s search for a better life is what connected her to the military.
“My mom always told us that after we finished school we needed to get out and find better opportunities,” Meriwether said. “In high school, I wasn’t driven and I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”
So, she decided to enlist.
“It changed my beliefs about myself and my self-esteem,” Meriwether said. “The military gives you so many opportunities to grow as an individual.”
Although education runs in Meriwether’s family, her military experience is what helped her find the direction to pursue a career in the field.
“I am now 22 years into my career that began after a life-changing experience in the military,” Meriwether said. “Education is my passion and my love.”
Today, Meriwether brings that passion to Georgetown ISD, where she serves as an academic dean at Purl Elementary.
Georgetown ISD has more than 50 veterans working in our organization.
From serving our country to serving our students, we thank you.
