MPO Notables: Betzabel Martinez

Betzabel Z. Martinez EC 1st year

I became involved with NASPA when I was accepted into the NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2016. Being in NUFP gave me the opportunity to network with student affairs and counseling professionals from across the nation by attending national conferences with the UCSB delegation. It also gave me unique opportunity to apply for leadership experiences open to all NUFPs,  the most memorable being the NASPA Dungy Leadership Institute at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington this past summer. Additionally, NUFP paired me with a mentor, Dr. Rocio H. Fajardo (Rossier ‘13), who guided me through the graduate application process and advised me through my own selection process that ultimately led me to pick USC!

The most important skill I have gained through my affiliation with NASPA has been the power of networking and making genuine connections with professionals in this field. Attending conferences, workshops, and knowledge circles is an excellent way to professionally develop yourself and have the opportunity to meet other folks from different departments and institutions that have the same desire to better serve students. Networking is not just an exchange of contact information; it is the exchange of knowledge, advice, and shared visions. Although it is seemingly impossible to have a meaningful interaction with every person in the room, find the folks who have taken a similar career path that you hope to take one day, who work at an institution that interests you, or who have written literature you admire.

I have now accepted a position within NASPA as one of two graduate interns at NASPA’s headquarters in Washington D.C. My hope for this internship is to create more visibility for the Community College Division (CCD). NASPA is historically an association that focuses on student affairs and has recently begun to pay importance to the many other departments that assist students on college campuses. I want to share the message with the NASPA community that counseling IS student affairs. Counseling professionals play a vital role in the personal, academic, and professional development of our students and we have a lot of knowledge to share with the NASPA community locally, nationally, and globally. I am fortunate that my supervisor, Jake Frasier, works closely with the NASPA CCD and thus hope to brainstorm what we can do to enhance the professional development and visibility of counseling students and professionals.

Lastly, I am honored to represent the USC Rossier School of Education at NASPA. I will take our mission with me to D.C. and work diligently to reflect the values Rossier exemplifies.