Junior Emily Martinez has felt the stress many juniors feel around this time of year. Trying to keep up with their homework and social life, many juniors tend to slack off around the winter holidays although it is one of the most important years in their high school career.

Emily is managing her junior year much better than she expected, despite her long list of AICE and AP classes. Her favorite class this year is AP psychology with Mr. Gray.

Hoping to major in psychology at Florida State University, Martinez plans on becoming a therapist or social worker when she gets older. She wants to focus on the teenage population and aid them in the problems they face. Emily remarked, “I want to work with teenagers because I feel like they go through the most stress and by helping them feel heard, I can help them deal with the problems they face at an early age.” When asked why she enjoyed psychology so much, she replied, “I am always fascinated with the new information I learn when I am in that class. It really makes me think and realize how things connect with each other because, without brain activity, we cannot function.”

Outside of her school life, Martinez recently started working at a local Mexican restaurant and loves getting to meet and interact with new people every day. Being Hispanic, Emily loves representing her parent’s home country, Mexico. Coming from Mexican descent, Emily believes her culture has impacted her life in ways she could never imagine possible. She enjoys celebrating weddings, parties, or even gatherings in the way her culture does because every culture/country has its own twists on everything they do. When she has time, she loves to go out and party with her friends and dance to music such as cumbia and bachata. Wherever she goes, Emily dances to the beat of the music.