In short order, Ana Martinez will be a three time Richmond County graduate and will go on to study business administration at UNC Pembroke.
HAMLET —Ana Martinez was born and raised in Richmond County and has always had an eye for business. Her mother, Laura Huerta, owns Huerta’s Produce in Laurel Hill – a local homegrown business, where Ana has helped out from an early age.
While part of the COVID cohort of graduates from Richmond Senior High School in 2021, Ana did not let a global pandemic stop her from achieving her goals. While at Richmond Senior High, she was also a dual enrollment student at Richmond Community College. She admits there were challenges with COVID school policies.
“When I graduated from Richmond Senior High, it was actually during the time of COVID, so I didn’t have that experience like everyone else before me, so there were challenges of course. With online courses, it just went by so fast,” Martinez said.
Nonetheless, Martinez made serious headway on her associate degree while finishing high school. Last spring, she graduated with a business administration degree.
Martinez attributes some of her success to the guidance counselors at Richmond Senior High, specifically Ricki Haley.
“I actually stayed connected with my guidance counselor; we emailed a lot, and after COVID I met up with her as well, because I needed a little bit of guidance. At first, I really didn’t know what kind of degree I wanted to pursue, but I did like business as well as helping people. She said, ‘Well, go into business administration, and see if you like it, so I did,” Martinez said.
For Martinez, one degree was not enough. She is currently completing the coursework for an associate of arts degree and will graduate for a third time this upcoming fall. Martinez is then planning on transferring to UNC Pembroke to complete a bachelor’s in business administration.
Luckily, for Richmond County, Martinez plans to stay local after her next academic endeavor.
Martinez currently works as a customer service representative at the Hamlet water department. She plans to use her bachelor’s degree and newfound knowledge to grow professionally with the City of Hamlet.
Thinking about the future Richmond Senior High students, Martinez has some advice.
“The message I want to give is to inspire people. Even if you don’t know where to start, just keep on going and think positive,” she said.
The future of Richmond County and its municipalities hinges on the success of its students. Accordingly, the Richmond County Daily Journal will periodically run a student spotlight on current students, recent graduates or anyone entering the workforce. The series will highlight their academic and professional successes, and their plans and aspirations moving forward. If you or someone you know is interested in being featured, contact Matt Lamb at matthew@www.yourdailyjournal.com or 910-817-2673.
The Richmond County student spotlight will be an ongoing Daily Journal series. If you or someone you know is interested in being featured, contact Matt Lamb at matthew@www.yourdailyjournal.com or 910-817-2673.