Interview, Raquel Martinez

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Raquel Martinez spent the first seventeen years of her life in Colombia. Raised with a Catholic grandfather and Jewish grandmother, Martinez celebrated multiple holidays and grew up observing the traditions of both faiths. She attended high school in Colombia and earned scholarships and grants to attend Colby Junior College and Syracuse University. After college, Martinez took an internship at Rochester General Hospital and one at the House of Mercy before beginning work as a psychotherapist at the Strong Ties Clinic in 2008.

Martinez spends a large portion of this interview discussing her education and the education of her three children. She describes her experiences during high school as well as her time as an undergraduate and graduate student. She also discusses the career paths of her children. She reflects on her experience being raised with two religious faiths and the observance of specific holidays. She briefly touches on the drug trade in Colombia and discusses the beliefs and attitudes of her generation.