{"id":300,"date":"2015-07-05T16:42:08","date_gmt":"2015-07-05T21:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=300"},"modified":"2016-10-19T09:48:28","modified_gmt":"2016-10-19T14:48:28","slug":"samantha-martin-15-pays-it-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/samantha-martin-15-pays-it-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Samantha Martin, ’15, Pays It Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading time: 2 minutes<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up wasn\u2019t easy for Samantha Martin, \u201915. The daughter of a teen mother and a father who fell in with the wrong crowd, the odds were stacked against her. Despite her difficult start, however, Martin persevered.<\/p>\n

Martin\u2019s journey led her to 91ÖÆƬ³§, where she recently completed her BA in psychology and sociology. She was chosen to deliver one of two student Commencement addresses by her classmates and faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I walked onto campus, I was an angst-filled 18-year-old with a bad attitude,\u201d Martin said in her speech. \u201cI had no plans and didn\u2019t care for my lack of direction.”<\/p>\n

Everything changed for Martin during her first semester, when a peer mentor helped her develop a sense of belonging at Maryville.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With an improved attitude and a new focus on her studies, Martin dove head first into community involvement. She volunteered for Special Olympics, worked at the campus coffee house and in the alumni office, and participated in campus events. More importantly, she spent her final three Maryville years paying it forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI peer mentored first-year students because I had amazing peer mentors that encouraged me,\u201d Martin says. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have graduated if I hadn\u2019t had family here. I have the family I was born into and I have my Maryville family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin isn\u2019t finished giving back. Currently, she is an intern with Safe Connections, an organization that works with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Eventually, she plans to earn a master\u2019s in social work, and then work with at-risk youth. In the long-term, she sees herself becoming a professor at Maryville, training the next generation of social workers and mental health professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really passionate about education,\u201d she says. \u201cI found myself through education, and I found a new life through education. I want to do the same for others.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it hasn\u2019t always been easy, Martin has defied the odds and is poised for success. She remains optimistic about the future for herself and her classmates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all nervous and scared,\u201d she told fellow graduates. \u201cWe don\u2019t know what\u2019s coming next, but we are going through it together. We\u2019ve got a solid foundation beneath us, so be hopeful and have confidence in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/i>Love<\/span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a> <\/i> <\/i>