Mom earns top-student status for kids’ sake

Tomé

Hard work and uninterrupted determination have helped Teresa Martinez achieve her goals and, at the same time, show her children the importance of education.

With a 4.1 grade point average, Martinez has been named the valedictorian of the spring semester at the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus. The Bosque Farms woman received her associate’s degree in liberal arts at Friday night’s graduation ceremony.

Martinez, who is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, said, when she first heard she was named valedictorian, she was in shock. “I was quiet for a moment, and I had my hands to my mouth, with tears coming down my face,” she said. “I was really excited.”

The honor of being named the top student has pushed Martinez to continue her education. She is planning on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, with an emphasis on mathematics.

Next semester, Martinez will take classes at the College of Education at the main campus in Albuquerque but will also continue to take classes at the Valencia campus.

“I feel comfortable here,” she said. “I am going to take as many classes here as long as I can.”

Martinez said she decided to become an elementary-school teacher because of her love of both books and children. “I realized that it would be more rewarding, and I would have far more enjoyment with children,” she said. “I want to spark an interest in a child and make a difference for them.”

Martinez started taking classes at UNM-VC after she graduated in 1984 from Los Lunas High School. A year after she graduated, she enlisted in the Navy, where she met her husband, Robert.

The couple returned to New Mexico in 1990, and she returned to college a year later. It was her husband who inspired Martinez to go back to school and follow her dreams.

“He started attending the campus and taking night classes, and he really enjoyed it,” she said. “I thought to myself I could do it, too. My husband and I teamed up together to be an example for our children.

“We want them to see us getting wrapped up in college, doing research papers and seeing us try hard and striving for a top grade. We wanted to influence the children to continue their education and motivate them to make the attempts to do just as well in school.”

The couple, who have been married for 14 years, have three sons; Michael, 11, Stephen, 7, and Angelo, 4.

Martinez said good study habits also helped her achieve academic excellence. She said when she was in boot camp, she learned a good study system and applied the same system when she started college.

It has always been Martinez’s dream to be able to stand at the podium and send a message to her fellow graduates and students. She said she wanted to tell other students at Friday’s graduation ceremony that it’s never too late to get an education.

“I’m not only going to congratulate and encourage my fellow graduates, but I’m going to tell them that they are leaving a place of convenience, comfort and camaraderie,” she said. “I think the advice I would give is that they really need to take advantage of what college has to offer.”