Meet UO community members who contribute to creating greater inclusion and access through their research and professional activities.

Martha I. Martinez, Doctoral Student in the Educational Leadership Program and 2009 CoDaC Graduate Research Award Recipient

Hometown: Norwalk, California is where I grew up. Corvallis, Oregon is where I have lived with my partner and children for the past 13 years.

Identity on campus: As a 40-something year old student, I'm sometimes mistaken for a faculty member. Although I suppose I could take this as a compliment, I'm pretty sure the reasons for the mistaken identification are (1) my age and (2) the fact that I know my way around campus.

What brought you to the U of O? In the interest of re-starting a paid career that I had sidelined after having children, I decided to go back to school. Not wanting to uproot my family in order to do this, I investigated my options at OSU and the UO. I ultimately chose the UO in large part based on the College of Education's ranking, the likelihood that I would get some financial support from the program at the UO but not from OSU, and the fact that my degree (a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership) was more established at the UO than at OSU.

Childhood aspiration: To have lots of kids! (See question second-before-last for the reasons why.) Lots became two once I started having them. Love 'em dearly but, whew, they are a lot of work -- from conception onward. 

What would you be doing or where would we find you if you weren't at work, class, or studying? With my children mostly, picking them up from school, running them to activities, helping them with homework, and enjoying their company as well as my partner's.



Research interests: As personal and political: researching how we define and address racial and class-based "achievement gaps" in education, especially as these relate to Latinos in the U.S. 

Quote you live by: "The real power, as you and I well know, is collective.  I can't afford to be afraid of you, nor you of me. If it takes head-on collisions, let's do it: this polite timidity is killing us."  Cherie Moraga, "La Güera", 1981, in "This Bridge Called My Back"



One thing not many people know about you: I come from a large family -- I have 11 siblings and have lost track of how many nephews and neices I have  -- and we are very close.  I have been surrounded by babies since I can remember, and have very fond memories that are continually being added to large, multi-generational family gatherings.

 

Anything else you want people to know about you? The person I most admire is my mother.