Karolina Martinez, a senior criminal justice major, political science minor, and first-generation Mexican-American college student, is grateful for the opportunities she’s had as a #CCU student and is looking forward to helping others to achieve their academic goals. As a Dyer Fellow and HTC Honors College fellow, her research focuses on the barriers that children of immigrants face when pursuing advanced degrees, as well as the impact of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policies on the higher educational attainment of immigrants in South Carolina. “My goal is to become an immigration attorney to advocate for this population.”
Actively involved on campus, Karolina is a member of the Mock Trial Team, the Women of Color Initiative, and works as a resident assistant. She credits her experiences outside of the classroom with helping to round out her CCU experience, including traveling to the state courthouse to meet with legislators on Feb. 12, and completing internships with two law firms: one focused on personal injury and the other on criminal defense.
“These skills are important for the workforce and networking. Being an RA has helped me with public speaking skills, and the Mock Trial Team has helped me with being able to talk to large groups of people and to make my presence known.” She's also thrilled to be a part of an exciting education abroad experience in Ghana from May 19-31 for the course Ghana: Democracy, Culture, Sustainability, and Diaspora Linkages.
“Dr. Danny Malone has been my mentor for both fellowships. He has taken on so much work to help me further myself at CCU. That’s how I got to be in the Dyer Fellowship Program – he mentioned it to me and encouraged me.”
After graduation in May, Karolina looks forward to taking the Law School Admission Test and enrolling in law school. #SpadoniSpotlight
