Paige Martinez wants her fellow students to join her in speaking up and getting involved!
The Castle Rock, Colo., resident and graduate student in CSU Global’s Military and Emergency Responder Psychology program, was recently named to the CSU System Board of Governors as the university’s Student Representative.
When speaking with Martinez, her love of learning is evident. With a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Fort Lewis College, and a master’s in criminology from Regis University, it’s clear that her passions are diverse, yet they have one common denominator: a goal to help people live full, safe, and healthy lives.
Professionally, Martinez is a security analyst for Comcast where she works with a number of retired military and first responders. “At some point I realized I wanted to go into psychology, but still apply what I learned back in my criminology degree. So I shopped and shopped for degrees. When I saw [Military and Emergency Responder Psychology] pop up I thought, ‘That's exactly what I want to do.’ It’s a plus that it was fully online.” Further, Martinez has a number of family members who serve as first responders. “It’s been nice to learn and start new conversations with them. The degree fits into my life so much more than I realized.”
Even with work and school keeping her busy, Martinez said the isolation caused by COVID started to take its toll. She wanted to challenge herself, to step out of her comfort zone. With the encouragement of her husband and mother, she applied for the Student Rep position. “When I got my graduate degree at Regis, one thing that I regretted was that I didn't get more involved. The program was a hybrid mix of classes, and I chose to do more online. At graduation I didn't know a single person. I was sitting by these people and thinking, ‘We all just did the same program.’ I want to make an effort to change that at CSU Global.”
She’s wasted no time making that change. Martinez has attended her first two Board of Governors meetings and is eager to learn how she can contribute more. “So far, I've been loving it. Nicole Hulet, the previous Student Rep, has been a big part of my onboarding. We’ve had a lot of great chats. My plan is to be super involved. I’m still learning, but I’m not shy!”
Martinez has enjoyed getting a closer look at how CSU Global operates, as well as how it fits within the larger System. “I never realized how intertwined the three campuses are—the entire CSU System. My husband went to CSU Pueblo, so we have that connection now. And I’m learning about the Spur Campus, too. That project is something that definitely wowed me.”
Ultimately, Martinez said she wants to encourage students to interact more, and she hopes to glean ideas from them on ways to improve the student experience. “You spend so much time communicating with these other people and you really do have to lean on them to learn when you're in an online environment. If we can figure out ways to make it more interactive I think that could go a really long way.”