Scholars in the Spotlight: Family heritage combines with scholarly passion for Victoria Martin

Linguistic study has become a way of life for Victoria Martin, so it should come as no surprise that she was named this year's Burrowes Scholar in the Spanish Department.

After all, Spanish is in her blood.

Her mother's side of the family comes from Puerto Rico, so she began learning the language at home. In school, though, Mrs. Jennifer Wade has helped drive her passion for the language, having taught Martin Spanish II and Spanish III.
Victoria Martin was named the Burrowes
Scholar for Spanish

"She's just so lively, and the class is very fun because I'm always interested," Martin says of SeƱora Wade.

In tandem, Wade's enthusiasm and Martin's ancestry have brought her to this point.

Wade also sings high praise of Martin.

"Victoria encompasses many of the attributes of a top scholar," says Wade. "We look for a student who has the temperament to learn another language, the intellect, the vigor, and the work ethic. Victoria has all four of those components. She is tolerant and likeable, self-reliant, eager to learn, is efficient with her time, and diligent."

Although Martin's heritage represents a major contribution to her excellence in the subject, her devotion to language doesn’t stop there. Martin also expressed curiosity in French, Russian, and Chinese. She would like to pursue those further if given the chance. 

When asked what she would do after graduating, she replied with computer sciences, programming, and virtual reality technology, but she was adamant about not giving up on language. 

And who knows? Perhaps she’ll find some common ground between linguistics and virtual reality, or create her own field. If there ever were someone capable of doing such a thing, it’s her.


This is the third article in an LSNews.org series featuring each of the high school recipients of the Burrowes Scholar award, which is given to one student in each subject area who demonstrates academic excellence in that subject. For more articles, visit this page. The series is coordinated by senior staff writer Mackenzie Miller, a three-time Burrowes Scholar herself.

--Logan Emmert, LSNews.org Reporter

Edited: BP

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