Martinez awarded with 2019 Dean’s Medal for her academic achievements

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles for fall 2019 commencement.

Arizona State University's School of Social Transformation recognized Katarina C. “Kat” Martinez with The College’s Dean’s Medal at the December 2019 graduation ceremony. Martinez graduated this fall summa cum laude with a BA in justice studies. 

Originally from California, Martinez moved to Arizona in middle school and graduated from Millennium High School in Goodyear. After high school, she earned an associate's degree in applied science with high distinction from Phoenix College and spent a year teaching English in Tonglu, China.

Martinez graduates with a near-perfect GPA and has received Dean’s List every semester, while being an active member of the Chicano/Latino Faculty and Staff Association and University Career Women. Even more impressively, she has always worked full-time on top of a full course load.

Since February, Martinez has served as the School of Social Transformation office specialist, responsible for managing the front desk and coordinating a range of activities in the school. In this role, she is often the first person students meet when arriving to Wilson Hall for advising appointments.  

Martinez was drawn to justice studies so she could “make a change or difference and understand where the problems start and how to fix them.” Following graduation, she is interested in pursuing a master’s degree and in seeking new opportunities to promote social justice and gaining hands-on experience to make the world a better place.