"Tori Martin: College is for More than Just Education"

By: Brittany Mallow, ENGL 336.002

Sending your child off to college can be one of the most difficult times for a parent. Stresses of whether or not you have instilled all the right qualities necessary for a successful college career haunt many parents. Tori Martin's mom had nothing to worry about.

This well spoken, senior chemistry major grew up in Bowie, MD. Tori grew up in a different household structure than many other students. With divorced parents, Tori primarily lived with her mother growing up. During her childhood her mother decided to open their home up to foster children. Tori can remember about 14 different girls coming to stay within a few years. It was a three-year-old little boy that captured the family’s heart. Her now brother was just “such a good fit with the family”, that her mother eventually adopted him. 
Being a foster parent can be a very challenging experience, as most of the children have some sort of behavioral or social problem. When asked how her mom handled this, Tori said, “My mom has always been tough. She’s always been a good disciplinarian.” Her mother’s personality characteristics helped provide the building blocks necessary to make Tori successful in college.

In high school, Tori describes herself as, “the go to school, come straight home type of girl”. She was not very active with any clubs, sports, or organizations in high school. This all changed when she entered college. Tori gives credit to the fact that living in a dorm motivated her to meet different people, participate in events, and join organizations.

In her freshman year, Tori joined Alpha Phi Omega, which is a co-ed fraternity based on the three principles of “friendship, leadership, service”. Aside from the friendship aspect of Greek life, Alpha Phi Omega encourages many different things from its members. The fraternity requires 40 service hours in the community per semester. This policy has allowed Tori to participate in such things as: animal shelters, Special Olympics, Relay for Life, and many other organizations.

Tori had never thought of herself as a leader until a brother in her fraternity nominated her to be Membership Vice President of the fraternity. Tori says that this role has “helped her grow and become more confident.” Tori now admits that her affiliation with Alpha Phi Omega has helped her become a better person. In addition to encouraging community service, Alpha Phi Omega has helped Tori become a confident leader, which are definitely not traits that she used to describe her pre-college self.

College has served as a blossoming-ground for Tori. With the help of a strict mother instilling the qualities she needed for success in her childhood, college has brought out the best in Tori. She attributes college as a whole to molding her into the person she is today. “Looking at who I was when I came in and the person when I come out, two different things.”

Tori is scheduled to graduate in May, and pursue a career in scientific writing.