Nov. 19, 2002
Martinez Seeks to Extend Boundaries
New Director to Lead Multicultural Student Services
By Greg
Licamele
Marisela Martinez loves her culture, or what she calls her “house.”
She knows her Chicana heritage inside and out.
But, according to the new director of the Multicultural Student Services
Center (MSSC), there’s nothing wrong with getting to know her larger
neighborhood.
“I have a genuine love and desire to learn about other cultures
and to experience them in any way that I can,” Martinez says. “I’d
like to be able to bring that energy and philosophy to the MSSC.”
As head of the MSSC, Martinez will oversee the operation and administration
of programs that provide academic, personal support, and community building
for pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate multicultural students,
as well as overall leadership for the larger GW community.
Martinez has been meeting with student organizations across campus,
listening to what their programming needs and activities include. She
also wants to talk with people who have been at GW for years and who
have witnessed the MSSC evolve.
“It’s about building unity across the University for its diversity
efforts,” Martinez says. “I want to extend myself to other
departments for input and guidance.”
“Marisela is the right person to lead the Multicultural Student
Services Center into the future,” says Linda Donnels, associate
vice president and dean of students. “She brings tremendous
energy to her role and a great commitment to diversity initiatives on
campus. I’m sure students and faculty alike will be impressed with
her spirit, dedication, and depth of knowledge in diverse cultures.”
Martinez, who joined GW after leading Davenport University’s Office
of Multicultural Affairs, says knowledge is a major key to understanding
diversity. No stranger to academia, Martinez received her JD degree
from the Loyola University’s Chicago School of Law and her BA degree
from the University of Michigan with majors in psychology and African
American studies. She also was a research fellow at the University of
Witswaterand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Martinez likes to lead by example, so the four staff members and six
student workers of MSSC are reading literature and books by diverse
authors as a way to increase their understanding of different cultures.
Martinez says she’s reading “Strangers From A Different Shore:
A History of Asian Americans,” by Ronald Takaki.
“I have to recognize my own lack of knowledge in Asian-American
history and politics,” Martinez says. “It’s been incredible
to see the similarities and the differences with African American, Latino,
and Native American cultures. It’s linking it all together.”
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
