“I think I’ll be working with YVC the rest of my life. I’ll never not be part of YVC.” – Samantha Martinez, senior at Wilson High School, Redding, PA
High school graduation won’t mark the end of Samantha Martinez’s Youth Volunteer Corps journey.
A senior at Wilson High School in Redding, PA, Martinez participated in her first YVC project as a sixth grader.
The Girls Supporting Girls. Period campaign created a huge impact around menstrual equity. The project generated a great deal of media attention, and it even caused ripples in the local political sphere.
“We provided menstrual products to girls in need,” Martinez said. “We also put trash cans in our bathroom, because they didn’t have any in there. It was a privacy issue. We got a lot of positive feedback. Unfortunately, it died down, but it was very impactful for our school.”
As a sixth-grader, Martinez couldn’t quantify the impact she was having.
She just knew she had found something good in YVC.
“I used to attend Redding Southern Middle School, and through their program I started doing projects,” she said. “YVC becomes like your family. Everyone is very supportive. It’s an amazing environment to be in and surround yourself with.”
Her six years with YVC have shaped her career trajectory.
“I truly do not know who I would be without YVC today,” Martinez said. “It has changed my life for the better. Not only my life, but my family’s life. I’d be a totally different person. I’m truly thankful for the people that surround me in my affiliate. I don’t know where I’d be without them. I’m taking all of these lessons I’ve learned, and I’m applying them to the real world.”
Martinez plans to stay involved, even after she flips her 2025 graduation cap tassel and has her diploma in hand.
“Even as a senior, I don’t want to leave YVC. I don’t want to leave the community that I’ve built,” she said. “I’ll never stop working with YVC. I think I’ll be working with YVC the rest of my life. I’ll never not be part of YVC.”
Written by Chris Lassiter