Migrant Student Pursues Dream to Walk on Mars

By Editor Ken Harvey

When Marleen Martinez of Warden attended the U.S. Space Academy on a Migrant Education scholarship in 1997, she returned with a dream to someday become an astronaut.

Since then she has made successful step after successful step toward that dream and now seems to have a realistic shot at her goal of "being the first person to walk on Mars."

In the spring she should graduate from the University of Washington with a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, funded by a NASA scholarship, and she is already working as a NASA intern at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., during the summers.

"Waking up every morning and going to work for NASA is so incredible, there are no words to describe it," says Marleen.

In summer 2004 she worked as propulsion lead on a $1 billion mission concept to send three landers to Mars, and this year she has been helping determine a precise Mars landing site for the Phoenix Lander, scheduled to launch in 2007.

"It definitely helps out my goal" to be the first astronaut to fly to Mars, she says.

All this is a long ways from the sugar beet fields and the potato "bodega" where she worked as a teen-ager.

"We really didn’t need the money, but mom wanted us to understand where we came from," Marleen recalls.

After three or four summers of getting up at 5 a.m. to hoe weeds in her uncle’s sugar beets, she was determined, "I am NOT going to do this the rest of my life."

Then her mom let her move from the beet fields to the potato shed to sort potatoes.

"I thought, ‘My mom has done this for years and years,’" and again she said to herself, "There is no way am going to do this the rest of my life."

But the family had one rule. As long as the children were in school, they didn’t have to work.

"I loved going to school," she says emphatically.

Winning the opportunity to go to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., as a 14-year-old, however, was not just another way to get out of the fields. It was something she really wanted to do.

"For as long as I can remember, I‘ve been fascinated by anything related to space, stars and astronomy," she says. "Ever since my dad first took me out to the back yard to show me the shooting stars, I was hooked! I would sit on the roof and tried counting as many stars as possible."

But when she wrote the essay for the Space Camp competition, she really didn’t think she would win.

"I thought there was no way I was going to get it. I was just this short Mexican girl from Warden," she says. When her name was announced, "I was shocked, and I really immersed myself that week at Space Camp."

Upon returning from the Space Camp, Marleen knew she would have to work hard to land the scholarships she would need to get out of the fields and into a prestigious university to catch the eye of NASA recruiters.

"I studied so hard, and I applied for every scholarship I could think of," she says.

Marleen achieved high grades, but she also knew she had to be well-rounded. So she played varsity volleyball and varsity softball in high school and was chosen Warden's Junior Miss 2000.

As she approached graduation, Marleen was offered a $16,000 scholarship by her top-choice school, Gonzaga University. But then she noticed a 1/2-tuition NASA Space Grant competition at the University of Washington.

Just the name of the scholarship meant something special to Marleen. She worked hard writing the essay. She had lots of teachers and mentors check it over and make recommendations.

"I wanted that scholarship more than the other students," she says.

But then came the big surprise -- an additional $52,000, four-year scholarship from UW. In all, she could leave the fields once and for all, go to UW and concentrate on her studies with $83,000 in scholarships – a new record for Warden High School.

Marleen's vision has continued to drive her toward her goal to fly in space.

As a freshman she won a UW research position, and then won a competition for a 9-week summer research program in interstellar chemistry and astrophysics at Ritter Observatory at the University of Toledo in Ohio.

In her second year she won the opportunity to do research at the Synchrotron Radiation Center at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she contributed to a published report.

And, finally, came the opportunity to intern for NASA during the past two summers.

"I am working for Dr. Matt Golombek and helped in the analysis and characterization of potential landing sites for the Phoenix Lander, NASA’s next mission to land on Mars," Marleen explains. "I am also analyzing the Spirit Rover landing site at Gusev Crater on Mars, a project that both explains the geological context of the local environment and aids in risk assessment for future Mars missions."

She has also had many opportunities to share her experiences as a public speaker.

In September 2002, for example, she was asked to speak alongside award-winning actor James Olmos in front of 800 of the top business executives in the state at the UW/Costco Scholarship Breakfast.

Marleen told the gathering how hard it was for her to succeed at UW.

"There were times in my first and second quarter when I thought, 'College is not for me,' or 'I can't take this anymore. Everyone here is so much smarter than I am,'" she told them.

"Then I started to think how hard my parents and grandparents worked to get me a high school education. My family was a migrant farm family. Education in my family was never more important than putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads," Marleen continued.

"My parents made sure that I still remembered my roots by making me work in the sugar beets and potatoes. But they still made me put school first so I would have the opportunity to attend college," she said. "I told myself everyday that if … all these sponsors and donors believed in me … I should believe in myself."

"Marleen delivered an inspiring, heartfelt, and very personal speech," UW President Richard L. McCormick said at the time. "She captured our hearts as she spoke of her grandparents' and parents' struggle and sacrifices. Many people were moved to tears by her message," including Gov. Gary Locke.

At the urging of one CEO in attendance, Astronaut Steve Smith sent Marleen a personal note and signed photos from some of his Space Shuttle missions. His note said that Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman in space, wrote him a note in the mid-1980s telling him to follow his dreams. He now wanted to impart the same message to Marleen.

And Marleen, in turn, has a message for other migrant students.

"Coming from the background I come from, I know how hard it is for you to," she tells migrant students. "But I know you're smart, and I know you know how to work hard.

"You can do whatever you want. There are so many people willing to help. Don’t worry about the money. Just get the grades and set your goals," she says. "Without goals you can’t go anywhere."

Marleen appreciates the support she has received over the years.

"My goal is to be an astronaut, and I’ve never run into anyone who said I couldn’t do it," she says.

"I was really blessed with good parents," she adds. "I know there are other parents who think their kids don’t need to graduate from high school and don’t need to go to college. But my parents have always been supportive."

As she nears completion of her bachelor’s degree, Marleen plans to go on to graduate school in astronautical engineering or earth and space science, ultimately achieving a Ph.D.

"As I continue to chase my dream, I have come to realize that education and higher learning are essential to our society and also our future," she says.

Marleen urged educators at the Statewide MSDR Conference, "Inspire the students. Tell them they can do anything they want to. That’s what people did for me."

And Marleen expressed gratitude for the efforts of such people as migrant home visitor Delores Martinez of Warden who met with her parents when Marleen was a child and urged them to support their children’s education.

Lee Campos, MSDR director, hugged Marleen after her talk and told home visitors, record clerks and administrators at the conference, "Don’t ever think the things you do don’t make a difference."