Cierra Cotton
Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Ms. Cotton!
Cierra Cotton is delighted to serve as the Lead College Advisor for North Dallas High School. She is a native of Baltimore, MD, who has called Dallas home since 2016. A graduate of Fordham University in New York City, she holds a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and had the opportunity to train and perform with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as a college student. Upon graduation, Cierra discovered a love for working with youth and has worked as a dance educator for over fifteen different schools & organizations across five states.
Before becoming a college advisor, Cierra spent five years working for Behind Every Door as the Director of Student Life at The Hive and The Rose Community Center: where she oversaw the daily operations and developed educational programming for K-12 students. In 2020, she was named one of D Magazine’s Front-Line Heroes for her commitment to providing educational tools, financial resources, and meal assistance to under-resourced families in Dallas. Her extensive experience building relationships with and developing programming for youth and families in low-income and underserved communities allowed her to see first-hand the lack of support her students had when pursuing higher education. Cierra believes that college should be accessible and affordable for all and is passionate about helping students realize their true potential. She is excited to be back for year 3 and looks forward to further growing the college-going culture within North Dallas.
When she isn’t working with students, Cierra loves traveling, writing, teaching dance classes, thrift shopping, visiting museums, volunteering, and is always on the lookout for new vegetarian & vegan restaurants in the DFW area.
Dustyn Floyd
Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Mr. Floyd!
Dustyn Floyd is extremely elated to serve as the College Advisor for North Dallas High School. He attended Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University where he obtained his Bachelors in Allied Health with a concentration in Occupational Therapy. As a second-year advisor at North Dallas High School Dustyn is beyond motivated and thrilled to assist and propel the great students of Dallas ISD through this important time in their lives.
When Dustyn isn’t in the office or assisting students, he will often be found watching one of his favorite sports teams on the television. Aside from his love of watching sports he is often known for playing pick-up basketball at the local gyms.
Samanta Martinez
Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Ms. Martinez!
Samanta Martinez is thrilled to work as a college advisor at North Dallas High School! Originally from Pharr, Texas, Ms. Martinez graduated from Gettysburg College with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies and an Italian Studies minor. This will be her second year working with ASP, and she is passionate about working with students to help them attain an affordable four-year college degree after high school.
As a first-generation student from a low-income community, attending college out of state was unexpected. She was fortunate to have an amazing college counselor who supported her through
the application process. Although attending college was a wonderful experience, Sam struggled to adjust to the new environment in her first semester. However, with support from the college resources and her aspirations to receive a higher education, she successfully surpassed the challenges to break the cycle of earning a college degree. Sam is excited to be back in Texas and committed to helping students go to and through college!
A few of her favorite hobbies outside of school include running, cooking, and watching a good
TV show, like Modern Family, Abbott Elementary, and The Good Place!