NOAA scientist urges students to define their path, pursue dreams

For 20-year-old Kaylia, the inspiring words of scientist Catalina Martinez were exactly what she needed to hear.

They reinforced her decision barely two weeks earlier to enroll at the Exeter Job Corps, having been homeless since age 18 and deciding her life was not what she wanted it to be.

“It was just my story,” Kaylia said of Martinez’s presentation. “I could see myself in her. She reminded me so much of myself.”

Seek new opportunities, network, and surround yourself with good people who are going to champion you. Be prepared to work hard. Be determined to obtain the education of your choosing.

As part of a Women’s History Month program, Martinez spoke to the Job Corps students Tuesday, March 10, about how she grew up in a large, traditional Cuban family that didn’t prioritize education for girls; how she struck out on her own at age 16 to pursue the education she wanted and knew she deserved.

The Jobs Corps — a no-cost (to the student) education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor — helps young people, ages 16-24, improve the quality of their life through career, technical and academic training.

Rhode Island NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is collaborating with Martinez and Job Corps to give students greater exposure to educational and career possibilities.

Tim Pelletier, RI NSF EPSCoR education, outreach and diversity coordinator, said, “We are very excited about the potential of this new relationship — it is the perfect opportunity and holds enormous potential.

“Catalina has a compelling and inspiring story to share. The kids connect to her because she started where many of them are right now in their life. Job Corps is vested in seeing their students succeed. And, RI EPSCoR can leverage relationships to provide meaningful and life-changing outreach and education.”

Lessons in adversity

Martinez regularly participates in Women’s History Month events at Job Corps  to conduct outreach, which she said she considers the most important part of her work. Each time, she stands before the student audience as living proof that dreams do come true and determination makes all the difference.

Tuesday, she recounted how she worked menial jobs, sometimes two or three at a time to support herself. She told the students how she pursued her GED and then took one college class per semester until she accumulated enough credits at age 28 to enroll full-time as a junior at the University of Rhode Island (URI).

Martinez holds an undergraduate degree in zoology and two master degrees — one in oceanography and one in marine affairs. Last year, she went back to school and obtained a Master of Business Administration.

If you are going to choose a path into a non-traditional field for your gender and race, you will go through struggles every day. It does not get easier. You just have to work harder and position yourself properly.

In her 14^th year as a physical scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she manages the regional Office of Ocean Exploration and Research on the URI Bay Campus, and spent the first 10 years going to sea, two to three months per year on research ships as expedition coordinator.

“I went from growing up in a community on the outskirts of the Chad Brown Housing projects in Providence to studying ocean science,” Martinez told the students. “That I am an exception and not the rule is not acceptable. It is not acceptable that opportunities are not equal across economic, racial, and cultural lines because we certainly all have the same potential.”

As Martinez spoke, the words on her PowerPoint slide starkly outlined what the Job Corps students know too well — chance of birth dictates access to opportunities and resources. However, she told them firmly, adversity is a strength that can be used to their advantage; obstacles are only detours.

“I don’t know where my resolve came from,” Martinez said. “I was always determined to get an education of my own choosing. Every one of you is the same — you are here for a reason.”

For Martinez, being a woman and a minority in the science field often means she is in situations where she is the only one like herself. This is the reality, she said, but not a deterrent. She urged the students, as the next generation of leaders, to advance themselves and change the paradigm.

“Seek new opportunities, network, and surround yourself with good people who are going to champion you,” Martinez advised. “Be prepared to work hard. Be determined to obtain the education of your choosing. Learn how to overcome obstacles so they don’t define your future.”

Megaladon and mermaids

Opening the floor to the students, Martinez addressed a wide range of questions: Is megaladon (a prehistoric monster shark) still alive? Has she seen the Titanic? What was her most interesting find on a dive? Has she worked with National Geographic? Has a shark attacked her? Are there alien ships? Do research vessels need cooks? Are mermaids real? Has she seen a mermaid?

Martinez took on all queries, from the outlandish to the serious, with genuine warmth and a trusting rapport. After about 10 minutes of questioning, the young male students headed to lunch and Martinez encouraged the young women to move closer to the front of the room. She does this each time she visits, as the dynamic shifts considerably, allowing for more personal interactions focused on the special issues and challenges women of color face.

“Have you ever felt discouraged?” asked one girl.

“Of course!” Martinez said. “I feel it all the time. If you are going to choose a path into a non-traditional field for your gender and race, you will go through struggles every day. It does not get easier. You just have to work harder and position yourself properly.”

Another student wondered: “How do you deal with negative stigma and stereotypes?”

“You have to define your path according to what you want,” advised Martinez. “Those obstacles exist. You know that they are there and they aren’t going away. If you put yourself on a path where your background is different, you have to navigate it properly and be resilient.”

A hand in the audience rose up and a girl asked, “How do you balance your career and personal life?”

Saying she missed 10 Rhode Island summers in a row because she was at sea on research expeditions, Martinez responded, “You make choices. It’s not easy. It’s a challenge to figure out the balance and I’m not very good at it.”

She said she never wanted a traditional life, and she makes a point to live deliberately.

Once the room emptied out, Kaylia approached Martinez. The conversation began with mermaids, but turned to Kaylia’s story. A Rhode Island family adopted Kaylia at a young age, and by the time she was 18, both her parents had died and she had no home.

A caseworker told her about the Job Corps program. Kaylia couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was within her that led to making a change: “I don’t know. I just didn’t want to live the life I was living. I knew there had to be something more out there.”

On Feb. 24, she arrived at Job Corps. She said she wanted to study nursing, become an RN and serve in the military.

“I admire her strength,” Kaylia said of Martinez. “What she was saying about how your circumstances of where you begin don’t define where you are today — it’s true. You can make a positive out of a negative.”

Martinez reflected, “Kaylia’s determination, strength and courage will propel her forward in life. She and I have much in common. I have no doubt that she will succeed in anything she chooses to do.”

Story and photos by Amy Dunkle