Carlos Martinez

Carlos, who is ranked in the top 3 percent of his class and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, currently serves as student government vice president, secretary of the Dreamers and Allies Student Organization, and fellow for America Needs You (ANY), a mentorship and career development program for first-generation college students. Carlos has served as an orientation leader for incoming freshmen, tutored classmates as a math fellow, and assisted as a peer advisor.

Carlos was born in Chicago but was raised in Mexico until seventh grade, when his mother moved to Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood to provide him with greater opportunities. Motivated to quickly learn and embrace a new language in order to excel, he became an ROTC captain in high school, was accepted into his school’s International Baccalaureate program, and served as president of the Spanish Honor Society.

Here, Carlos talks about what he has learned through his Loyola experience about the importance of giving back—and how he plans to take those values with him after graduation.

What was the most meaningful volunteer, service, or student organization activity you’ve been involved in? How has it influenced you or shaped you as a person?

The most meaningful student organization activity I’ve been involved in has been serving as student government vice president for Arrupe College. It was such a learning experience that taught me how to truly be a leader by allowing me to work with a group of motivated student leaders from whom I learned a lot as well. It also made me realize how to really be a person who wants to do something beyond themselves. Giving back is now an important thing for me and is something that I want to keep doing for the rest of my professional and personal life.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from your Jesuit education?

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned from my Jesuit education has been how to be a person for others while really caring about yourself. I’ve had the amazing opportunity of being part of this community and realizing how valuable and important it is to give back. And to do so you must be self-aware and know when to step in and when to step back. Being willing to do something for others is something we should all learn, and I think the Jesuit education really gives students the opportunity to give back in a variety of ways.

What do you hope to achieve after college, and how has Loyola prepared you?

I hope to forge a career in the business field, maybe management, since I have this great passion for leadership. And what better way to do that than through my career, while giving back through volunteer work or giving donations to nonprofit organizations that encompass the idea of caring for and with others. In general, Arrupe and the larger Loyola community really focus on this idea and how important it is to allow students to realize it on their own, by giving them the opportunities and the resources to make a change through all of their leadership opportunities.