In early July, Ainsley Martinez was unaware of what career to pursue. What she didn’t know was that soon two journalism camps would help her discover a new love for war correspondence writing.
Martinez, a bright 16-year-old girl with a love for writing has always wanted to make an impact.
“I know this field could be dangerous emotionally and physically, especially with the way people view journalism now, but I know I can overcome those difficulties,” Martinez says.
To prepare for her career, Martinez is spending this summer working at different journalism programs, including Washington Journalism Media Conference at George Mason University and the Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism.
As part of her trip to Washington, D.C., for the Washington Journalism Media Conference, she visited the Newseum, where a quote captured her attention: “There are three people that run toward disasters, not away from them: police, firemen and reporters.” This drew her toward the desire to be a war correspondent.
She says the quote really stuck with her because she wants to do something that’s meaningful.
“I’ve always really enjoyed writing, and it’s something that I always wanted to do,” she says.
Having many hobbies, one she enjoys the most is telling stories. She writes for her school’s newspaper as well as for “Poptized Magazine,” a pop culture-based magazine, for which she reviews movies and albums.
A go-getter, Martinez is ready for anything that comes her way, “I say yes to anything.” Martinez describes herself as someone who makes the best out of what she has, trying to take advantage of every opportunity she can, especially when it comes to writing.
From writing about pop culture to dreaming of writing about war, Martinez is a multi-dimensional journalist.
