Laura Martinez
She’s helping Spanish speaking families in our community
Moving to another country can be scary. Even scarier, in fact, if that country operates in a foreign language.
A family support worker and service coordinator for the Broadway Street Neighborhood Center, Laura Martinez uses her own experience as a shy English-language student from Mexico to relate to her 22 family clients, 19 of whom are native Spanish speakers.
“For some, they learn quickly how to move through the system, but for some it’s a problem and the biggest issue is language,” said Martinez, 34.
In 1993, Martinez came to Iowa to study English at Muscatine Community College, a move driven by her desire to master the language and experience American culture. With a major focused on teaching, Martinez found herself volunteering more and more hours at local elementary and high schools, helping Spanish-speaking students in English language programs.
After completing college, Martinez’s interest in social services eventually led her to the Broadway Street Neighborhood Center, a branch of the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County. The organization is a family centered nonprofit with three centers in the county, two in Iowa City and one in Tiffin.
“My classroom is the house,” Martinez said, describing her job. “Every family has its own needs so we help them access all the community resources that are out there.”
Her goal is to empower families. For families new to the area, merely understanding Iowa City’s transit systems is vital.
In her efforts, Martinez said being Mexican and having her own stories to tell — including the initial embarrassment of speaking in an overly formal, textbook learned English — makes her relatable.
“They might feel that, ‘she knows where I come from and I know the process,’ that’s when you relate to a person,” she said.
Martinez has lived in Iowa for 12 years and said she plans to remain here, despite the cold. Working for a nonprofit won’t give her the pot of gold that some immigrants see in America, but Martinez said she isn’t looking for that.
“I just like being in contact with people and making a difference,” she said.
Quoting an old friend in Monterrey, Martinez said, “If your dreams are paid with money that means they are still too cheap.”
— Hieu Pham
