LuzJennifer Martinez ’03

LuzJennifer Martinez ’03 (Mount Pleasant High School) graduated from Rhode Island College in 2008 with a B.A. in English and a minor in Communications. She is currently a freelance writer for What’s News Online at RIC, which reports on news and developments about people, departments, or activities at Rhode Island College. She is also a part-time freelance reporter for the Providence En Español newspaper, for which she writes in Spanish on a variety of topics relevant to the local Latino community.

As a prospective first-generation college student, LuzJennifer didn’t know much about college, how to get there, or even what she was capable of. “The Crusade really helped inform me about the admissions process,” she says. “Not only was I guided through the extensive process by my advisors, Leo Rios and Cedric Hammond, the program constantly reinforced the fact that I did have options if I worked hard. It taught me that I was capable of attaining my goals that I sought after. Had it not been for the Crusade,” she continues, “I probably wouldn’t have even felt compelled to apply to any schools at all, but I am so glad that I did.” Some of the Crusade programs that LuzJennifer was able to take full advantage of were the Kaplan SAT prep classes and college campus visits and tours. “I learned the value and reward of hard, consistent work and of getting good grades, which eventually helped me obtain the Crusade Scholarship,” she adds.

LuzJennifer encourages Crusaders to do what they love. “As you get older, the temptation to assume a role or follow a certain path just to achieve instant material and monetary success gets stronger, but resist that temptation and stick to what you have a passion for,” she says. “It’ll be so worth the fight. Don’t ever doubt your abilities or have anyone say you can’t do something. Embrace who you are, where you come from, and make beauty out of what you have in life.” The challenges that LuzJennifer faced in college brought out inner strength she never knew she had. “There is nothing more rewarding in the world than to be able to look back and remember a particular time when you were literally fighting through your life to attain your goals and then to say to yourself in the next breath I did it,” she says. It just makes you want to get out there and live life to the fullest, not knowing what is ahead but ready to face it and unlock all of those other surprises that life may have in store.”

In her free time, LuzJennifer reads a lot, and she also writes fiction. She enjoys the theater and hopes to take Latin dance classes in the future.