Hunters Lane Alum Returns to Help English Learners Following in His Footsteps

When you walk through the halls of Hunters Lane High School, there’s a great chance you’ll see a familiar face in Antonio Figueroa Martinez, happily helping the next generation of English Learners acclimate.   

Figueroa, who serves as an Immigrant Youth Transition Specialist at Hunters Lane and other schools, understands better than most how overwhelming school can be in America, especially when you primarily speak one language.  

“I always tell my students when they’re coming in from a brand-new country, I walked these hallways and experienced many of the things you will,” he said, describing his own transition into the United States as a kid from Mexico in 2006.  

Figueroa enrolled in MNPS as a predominantly Spanish-speaking student. He says he faced many challenges early on due to limited EL programs at the time.  

“I had to take a bus from the Goodlettsville area all the way down to Taylor Stratton Elementary School to receive the services I needed back then,” he said.  

Figueroa says he eventually returned to his zoned cluster, which was Hunters Lane, spending his middle school years at Goodlettsville Middle before stepping into the halls of Hunters Lane High School. He says he began to thrive as a student, thanks to the endless opportunities offered to him.  

“I accomplished being a first-generation graduate from this school,” he said.  

Paying It Forward 

After graduating from Hunters Lane in 2015, Figueroa says he had a clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life, thanks to the influence of many of his teachers.  

“As soon as I got to graduation day, I knew that regardless of what I was going to do, I was going to eventually end up in the classroom,” he said.  

Figueroa kept that promise to himself. In fact, he’s spent five years working within MNPS in various roles centered on guiding EL students along their academic journey.  

Prior to his current role as an Immigrant Youth Transition Specialist in the Hunters Lane and White Creek clusters, Figueroa spent time working in the Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) program, primarily at Margaret Allen Middle School and Glencliff High School. 

The opportunity to be back at his alma mater of Hunters Lane, working with EL students just like him, is one Figueroa describes as surreal. 

“It’s insane to think about,” he said.  

Figueroa believes the best part of his role is that no two days are the same. One day, he may spend his time providing students with academic support, while the next day may be spent helping students get essential items from the school’s student closet.  

“When I first got to school, things were strange and confusing,” said Yarsil Camaja, a Hunters Lane ninth grader. “However, Mr. Figueroa met with me, and we talked about attendance as well as best behavior to follow for a great experience here at Hunters Lane.” 

Figueroa is all about providing EL students with the same opportunities MNPS offered him.  

“If it’s not doing this for myself, it’s me doing it for someone else,” he said. “Throughout Latin America, one thing we try to do is make sure everyone around us is taken care of.”  

Figueroa is also inspiring students with his own educational journey as he works towards a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Education from Lipscomb University. 

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A post shared by Metro Nashville Public Schools (@metroschools)