In her own words
Katherine Martinez
I’m pursuing a higher education because of my parents. As foreigners who immigrated to the United States when they were just teenagers, my parents gave up their opportunity to go to college so that they could raise their children in a country that places us on a path of education. Their only wish is for my siblings and I to realize how important the opportunity to receive a higher education is and to take advantage of it. Looking back, I’m glad to have had parents with this type of mentality. Though they might have been strict at times, like when they would strongly oppose our attempts to get a job because they wanted our prime focus to be on our studies, when I look at my extended family and how many of my cousins didn’t make it past high school, I feel grateful to have parents who encouraged us to stay on the path of education. Pursuing a higher education is my way of reassuring them that their sacrifices weren’t for nothing.
My career goals consist of working in a setting that blends psychology and the legal system. To do this, I plan on majoring in Psychology and then further expanding my studies to Forensic Psychology. Some potential job positions that I’m interested in include a crime analyst or a police consultant. Ever since I took a Psychology course my junior year of high school, I became fascinated with how our brains are wired to make us react and perceive the outside world in a particular way. Being able to apply that knowledge to understand what makes someone a criminal before they commit a crime and to serve as a resource for law enforcement gives me a purpose not only at work but for those who have been victims of crime.