November 18, 2024

An ASU Law student’s mission to make a difference through law, service and community

It’s always been about finding ways to give back and serve his community for Jacob Martinez. His future became more defined as he nurtured his passion and participated in community development work. He wanted to find ways to help others for the rest of his life.

Martinez grew up in Mesa, about 25 minutes south of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. He knew he would eventually be sitting in ASU Law’s classrooms, learning law rules.

When he was young, he viewed being a lawyer as adventurous — a way to be in a field that works toward helping people and making big decisions with huge impacts. His first step was being accepted to ASU and double majoring in political science and justice studies.

But in the middle of his sophomore year, he did something bold and joined the U.S. Navy Reserves. Luckily, this decision didn’t interfere with his studies, as he still received college credit for boot camp and training. He returned to campus without missing a beat and was on track to graduate on time. The only difference was the military was now part of his identity and he had to juggle school while serving his country.

As he served, he learned valuable skills that helped him as he started law school.

“Service has always been important, and I believe the opportunity to help others is bigger than yourself,” Martinez said. “The military helped me grow as a person. I became diligent and learned how to accept that I have to do things I may not want to. It also taught me how to handle many tasks with so little time.”

Now a second-year law student, Martinez looks back on his first year, which he described as tough. He remembers some incidents where he was waking up at 2 a.m. and getting back by 10 p.m., leaving no time for schoolwork. Martinez credits his classmates-turned-friends who helped get him the notes he needed to complete assignments when he had to go on duty.

Martinez is expecting to graduate with his Juris Doctor degree in May 2026. Once he graduates, he wants to work for a local commercial litigation firm that takes pro bono work seriously.

“We need to make sure we’re giving back because if you don’t, it’s easy to get caught up in the legal world,” he said. “I want to work somewhere that climbs out of the ivory tower and gets down to the issues that help people.”

Each fall, ASU hosts Salute to Service Week to honor veterans, active-duty service members and military families. ASU Law joins this campus-wide tribute, recognizing the sacrifices and dedication of those who have served.

Written by Crystal Jimenez