Donato Martinez is no ordinary professor. In his Distinguished Faculty Lecture, Memories from the Barrio: Poetry on Center, Donato regales those in attendance with stories from his childhood, beautiful poetry and plenty of heartfelt moments that paint a picture of a man who has gone so far in his life.
Every school year Santa Ana College awards one professor with the Distinguished Faculty Award. The award is meant to acknowledge the best in teaching, and it is the most prestigious award any teacher can receive from the school.
“It feels good,” said Martinez on receiving the honor. “It recognizes and validates my efforts as a professor and the events that I’ve been able to help put together.”
Martinez immigrated to the United States at six years old. As one of seven children, he had to share practically everything. “When we wanted Nikes or we wanted a new backpack, it wasn’t happening,” said Martinez. “If [my father] said yes to one of us, he would have to say yes to six others.” If he wanted to do things like play Little League baseball he had to buy all the equipment himself. Selling oranges, mowing lawns and whatever else he could do to get some money.
His experiences as a child in a poor immigrant family left a big impression on him. He has been co-coordinator of the Puente Program with Reina Sanabria for the past 24 years, helping and supporting underrepresented students on their journey to four-year universities. He’s shown no signs of stopping any time soon.
“In the last five years, maybe 10 years, I’ve been more motivated than I was when I was younger,” said Martinez. “There’s a new relentless fire in me. Not only to write but to teach and to tap into the lives of students.”
Outside his many years as a teacher, Martinez is also a published poet. In 2023 his first full-length poetry collection titled Touch the Sky gave readers a closer look into his life and those around him.
“Donato Martinez pays homage to the many men and women who often are excluded from our history books. He acknowledges their being, their presence and the many contributions they make to our everyday life,” said SAC professor Angelina Veyna, regarding his poetry collection.
During his lecture, Martinez recited poems based on his upbringing, including “We Wanted More,” which speaks to his experiences growing up in “the barrio.”
“We always wanted more, all seven of us/We were hungry/We wanted to eat at restaurants/We wanted our own room, our own bed, our own blankets, but we shared everything”
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