Martinez Young Woman of the Year - Coday Skinner

Coday Skinner has lived in Martinez for 17-1/2 years, her entire life.  She is currently a Senior at The Environmental Studies Academy, (ESA) part of the Briones Independent Study program. 

For the last four years Skinner has been a mentor at John Swett Elementary School, where she teaches students about ecological literacy – how to be knowledgeable about the environment.  “It’s really cool because the kids are actually into it,” Skinner said.  She has also mentored in a Special Education classroom helping to promote healthy living and stress management. 

Skinner says she would like to attend community college at DVC or in Santa Cruz in pursuit of an Associate Degree in Environmental Science, and then transfer to UC Santa Cruz to further her study in that field. “I would like to work as a naturalist…and eventually I would like to end up back in Martinez teaching at ESA," Skinner said.

When asked about receiving the award for Young Woman of the Year, Skinner said “It was definitely a surprise when they called me and said that I won…there are tons of people who deserve the award.  It feels like a terrific honor to be recognized by my community for the work that I do,” Skinner said.