A Capital Student Success Story!

Lilliam Martinez

A. A. Liberal Arts, Capital Community College.

B. A. Liberal Arts/Psychology, Smith College.

M. A. Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut.

Where is she now? Lilliam is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Capital Community College in Hartford, CT.

In her own words: I was a junior in high school when my guidance counselor called me into her office to volunteer the information that I was now old enough to drop out of school. I remember thinking “I must be really stupid if she is suggesting that I do this.” I wasn’t a troublemaker or a slacker, I was just a kid who hadn’t connected the dots to studying and doing well. It didn’t help that I had been working since the age of 11 to assist my mother. Because I was tall and easily passed as working-age, I was always able to get a job, and had little time to devote to schoolwork. Through some kind of miracle and the insistence of good friends who convinced me I ought to remain in high school, I graduated.

Working three jobs after high school, it took all the courage I could summon to walk through the doors of Capital Community College; I was scared to death. That simple act forever changed my life. Suddenly, I was provided with not only the resources to continue my education, but also the encouragement that I was capable of more. Professors and staff believed that I could achieve something, and they nurtured me until I believed it myself.

I was elated when my history professor recommended that I participate in Smith Community College Connections, a program for community college students to sample four-year college life by living and studying together for the month of June. That experience also altered my life, but sadly, that program has been terminated. For years I pushed promising female students at Capital into the Smith program. Without exception, it was a pivotal moment in each of their lives.

When I first came to Capital, I had vague plans to complete my associate’s degree and return to my job as an assistant manager at a retail clothing store in Hartford. I thought I might possibly rise to district manager – the highest position I could even dream of aspiring to. The support and encouragement I received at Capital propelled me to envision more – to do more. After graduating in 1991 with an A. A. in Liberal Arts, I transferred to Smith College, completing my B. A. in 1994 (Liberal Arts major, minor in Psychology). I earned an M. A. in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 1996.

What I received from Capital Community College is as precious to me as my family. It was a gift that is still paying dividends in so many ways. I feel duty-bound and driven to give back to the College, which is why I am right back where I started. Each and every day I strive to ignite the education/ambition fire in my students. That power was given to me, and changed my life. I want the same for them.

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