Jennifer Martin may have grown up in the tiny central Texas town of Sidney, but she had – to say the least – some giant career aspirations.
A high school trip to Washington, D.C., convinced her that journalism and politics were in her future. She was determined to attend prestigious Georgetown University to start her journey.
“I wanted to be the first female president,” she said.
She was also a star player on her high school basketball team, which got her thinking about another option.
“I thought I could be the first female to play in the NBA,” she said, laughing.
She was so confident in her ability to do something remarkable with her life that she autographed the closet door in her bedroom and instructed her parents “to hold onto that door so that they could sell it for a lot of money some day.”
What she really knew was that she wanted to get out of Sidney and have absolutely nothing to do with a life in agriculture.
“I didn’t see that life as anything more than getting up before sunrise and working until after sundown, day after day,” she said.
Well, you may have noticed that Martin is not currently serving – nor has she previously served – as president of our country. And despite her smooth jumpshot and rebounding ability in high school, she has not been spotted playing with or against LeBron James in an NBA game.
In fact, Martin did exactly what she said she would NOT do: build a career in agriculture. Today she is a highly respected meat scientist, associate professor of animal sciences and meat extension specialist in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University. And that’s because a pair of her mentors – one in high school and another at Texas Tech University – saw something in her that even she did not see.
“My high school (FFA) teacher got me interested in studying animal science and encouraged me to visit Texas Tech,” Martin said. “He helped me find a window opening to my future, and to this day he’s a really strong mentor.”
“And when I got to Texas Tech, I had a professor who got me interested in meat science. I was fascinated, and went on to earn my master’s and Ph.D.”
As the first in her family to earn a college degree, Martin has great appreciation for teachers and works hard to be the best she can be in the classroom. She loves connecting with students the way her mentors connected with her.
“Teaching is, hands down, the best part of having a faculty position,” she said. “Many of the students in our college come to CSU wanting to be veterinarians, but most won’t be. I try to make my classes connect with students in meaningful ways. At the end of the day, I hope I have been a person who has opened doors and let my students know about the many opportunities available to them in this industry.”
And while you won’t find her in the Oval Office or shooting 3-pointers in an NBA arena, you very likely will find her working on one of many committees or other projects that go well beyond the “normal” duties associated with being on faculty. Martin has an adjunct appointment with the Colorado School of Public Health’s epidemiology department, is a CSU Presidential Leadership Fellow, is the Faculty Council elected representative to the CSU Board of Governors, and serves on the Provost’s Council on Engagement.
“I was on Faculty Council for a couple of years before I really found the passion to be involved and make a difference on this campus,” she said. “There’s a civic duty we have to serve our campus community, and I really enjoy the opportunity to help determine the future of our campus.
“Honestly, one of the great things about being a faculty member is that I share a campus with a couple thousand truly brilliant people. If I had never left the building and gotten involved, I would never have known that. It has made me a better teacher, a better researcher and a better person.”
