A Place to Belong: One Family’s Story at KIPP Valiant
Carmen remembers vividly what it felt like when she first began looking for a school in the Peninsula for her son, Salo, nearly a decade ago. She wasn’t searching for a place to simply drop him off each morning. She was looking for somewhere he could feel grounded, challenged, and cared for—somewhere he could grow.
“I wanted a good school for my son,” she recalls. That statement carries the weight of every parent’s hopes for their children. When Carmen heard that a new public charter school—KIPP Valiant Community Prep– was opening in her community, she felt a spark of possibility.
Carmen quickly realized she had found a community with purpose. KIPP’s promise of strong academics caught her attention initially, but what truly assured her KIPP would be the right fit for her family was the combination of high expectations, support outside of the classroom, and the healthy communication among teachers, students, and parents.
For her, these were all signs that the adults on campus understood what it meant to build a true learning community. She felt that KIPP Valiant was a place where students would experience structure and care at the same time—a place where her son could feel safe enough to be himself and confident enough to shine.
Salo felt that, too.
He’s now spent nearly his entire childhood attending KIPP Valiant—from kindergarten all the way through eighth grade. Over the years, Carmen has watched him grow academically and as a person. She remembers how quickly his reading took off in kindergarten, and she also remembers the moments when he struggled a bit and then caught up, growing steadier and stronger each year.
When Salo looks back on his elementary and middle school years, what stands out the most are the people who were there to guide him along the way. For Salo, KIPP is a school where he feels seen, supported, and understood.
“All the teachers I’ve had are very kind,” Salo shares. He still remembers one of his former teachers who followed his own dream of becoming a musician, and in doing so, taught Salo to dream boldly too.
“He inspired me a lot,” Salo says. “He always told me, ‘You can do it. If you ever have a hard day, come talk to me.’”
Support like that stays with a child. It tells them they belong, that their voice matters, and that their dreams are worth holding onto. Salo lights up when he talks about science experiments and the hands-on joy of learning, and he dreams of becoming a mechanic or engineer one day.
One of Carmen’s proudest memories came last year, when Salo had the opportunity to travel to Japan with his classmates. The idea felt overwhelming at first, and it came with a whole year of preparation, fundraising, paperwork, and a mother’s worries. But, step by step, the community carried him there. Teachers shared photos and videos along the way, and Carmen describes the experience as if she traveled with him through every moment.
“Not many kids are brave enough to go to another country,” she says. “But he did.”
Carmen appreciates the opportunities KIPP Valiant has made accessible to her son, and she sees the schools as a launchpad to not only high school, but to the future her son dreams of: “I want him to continue growing, to keep progressing so that he can reach his goals and be able to go to the university he wants to attend.”
Parents and caregivers like Carmen are a core element of what makes KIPP Valiant special. Families were instrumental in the founding of the school in 2017, and they continue to infuse the school with a sense of belonging and connection.
For Carmen, that’s what makes KIPP different: “KIPP is empathy, community, family.”
