Note: Each year, Nebraska Appleseed is fortunate to work with a number of bright, talented law clerks and interns. This is one of a series of posts that feature Appleseed’s clerks and interns discussing their backgrounds and experiences.
Sometimes dreams change for the better.
“I’ve always wanted to help people. Since I was a little girl I told everyone I was going to become a doctor,” Nebraska Appleseed intern Selina Martinez said. “Up until my sophomore year at UNL I was on track to go to medical school. I was even awarded a health and human science scholarship. However, after taking various sociology classes I came to realize that without a policy change being a doctor wouldn’t have the same impact as I wanted to give.”
After that, the Lincoln transplant originally from California decided to switch to a sociology major.
“My dream job would probably be something where I get to interact with my community or maybe conducting studies that can influence policy,” Selina said. “The results from those studies can help debunk myths or influence policy change.”
Selina is working with the Immigrants & Communities team at Appleseed where she is getting a glimpse into real-world application of classroom concepts.
“I wanted to work at Appleseed because I wanted to be more involved with the immigrant community in a way that I could help them,” Selina said. “When I started I was hoping to apply what I’ve learned in the classroom to the real world, and I have. I like working with the community, and for me it’s exciting and interesting to see what communities have to say.”
But wherever there’s a job that must be done there’s an element of fun.
“I chose Appleseed because a previous intern told me about how much she enjoyed working at Appleseed and I wanted to see what all the fun was about.”
Name: Selina Martinez
Position: Intern
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA/Lincoln, NE
About me: I was born in Los Angeles, but most of my life I grew up in Lincoln. I love living in Lincoln and like it a whole lot more than LA. Something unique about me is that I was named after Catwoman, whose real name is Selina Kyle. My three older brothers were obsessed with Batman at the time and begged my mom to name me Selina. I’ve always wanted to help people.
Future plans: After I graduate, I want to get my Masters degree. I haven’t decided in what I would like my Masters in yet but I’m leaning towards sociology or student affairs.