When the music starts to play, there is nothing that could stop Rosa Martinez,ready to turn to the direction her dreams go, leaping to her goals and ambitions. She sways to the rhythm the beat plays, her feet following the tone her heart makes. Tackling down every obstacle with a big smile on her face, she takes charge of anything impossible to possible.
 As a young girl, she was twirling, driven by an innate love for movement that only grew over time, dedicating over 12 years to mastering its complexity. Her passion burned brighter as years passed during high school. She joined PRHS Advanced Dance team for two years, creating choreography for dance stages and football fields. Martinez starred in the spring dance show “Skyline” with her own choreography, as well as taking extracurricular classes such as AP Spanish, AP Environmental Science,AP Biology, and AP Calculus AB. She sustained all of it with a 4.2 GPA. Martinez demonstrates her leadership in her
AVID class and gives back to the community by volunteering through local opportunities. “I like to give back because personally a lot of my teachers, parents and friends have just given so much to me, and, my community service is just a way to give back to people,” Martinez said. The Paso Robles Youth Art Center sharpens her skills, and lets her share her knowledge with eager young minds. Martinez installs the same enthusiasm for ballet in them that had first captured her heart. She teaches girls ages 6 to 11 with nurturing teaching, and fosters in them a sense of discipline and creativity while they pirouette and plie.
AVID and math teacher Kristy Lechuga observed that Martinez is, “Someone who really wants to see others succeed, and she’ll do everything that she can to help out a friend and even someone who she just met. She’s very caring and is definitely going to go far in life.”
Martinez serves as AVID president this year, after choosing AVID six years ago. She praises the program for its numerous opportunities. AVID was on Martinez’s list even throughout middle school, where it provided growth in the community and on campus. Her relationship grew more and more fond with her boyfriend and senior Jazir Ortega. He knows how much work she puts in school and the activities she enjoys, influencing him in turn to thrive for the best. “She made me just a better human overall. She’s just inspired me to get better at my schoolwork and improve my drive and my overall life,” Ortega said.
Along with achievements there are always struggles and obstacles in the way. Her immigration status is one of them. “Being undocumented in the United States. It just puts up the question of, is it’s gonna be worth it or not, but I always look at it like I’m able to have, like, free education here. So for me, there’s only winning from here and it doesn’t matter where I go. I’ve already done so much and I’ve already achieved a lot,” Martinez stated. Martinez remains undeterred in her pursuit of education and empowerment. She applied for seven colleges and got accepted to all four UCs and three CSUs. She plans to major in Education and Liberal Studies at Cal Poly, aspiring to become an elementary school teacher, shaping the minds of the future generation with her passion and dedication.
