Where are They NOW? 2016 Scholarship Winner Samantha Martin
Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
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22 Feb Where are They NOW? 2016 Scholarship Winner Samantha Martin

Posted at 21:47h in Scholarships by

Action begins with a desire. Heartfelt compassion leads to action.

Samantha Martin learned at a young age the importance of having a voice and being an advocate for others. Her father, Timothy Martin, is a Local 317T member, now retired from the maintenance department of ITG Brands in Greensboro, N.C.
โ€œMy dad worked for Lorillard and he was a union member for as long as I can remember,โ€ recalls Martin. โ€œHe always talked highly about the importance of having a union job and being part of an organization that stood up for workers.โ€

Martin is a 2016 recipient of a BCTGM International Scholarship award. โ€œI can still remember getting the letter telling me I won the scholarship and I was so excited! It made such a difference in my education,โ€ she adds.

Martin graduated from Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. in May 2020 with full honors and a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree. Two weeks following graduation, she began work on her masterโ€™s degree at North Carolina State University. She is currently completing the Advanced Standing Master of Social Work Program, which allows her to graduate with her degree in May 2021. In the accelerated program, Martin is completing her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in just 12 months, completing two summer sessions combined with a fall and spring semester.

She didnโ€™t always want to be a social worker. She had plans to pursue a pre-dentistry path and major in biology. โ€œThen the summer before I began my studies at Campbell, I worked as a summer missionary out of state working with children in low-income areas. And that changed my mind about what my future would look like,โ€ notes Martin. โ€œI wanted to provide services and help to kids who need it. From there, I decided to learn about the social work profession and I made my way to where I am today. I took my first class and never looked back.โ€

Following her graduation from N.C. State this May, she will begin working toward the 3,000 clinical supervision hours required to take the exam to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). The entire process, Martin says, takes a minimum of two years.
While she is not yet sure of the type of clinical work she will pursue, Martin says she prefers a hospital setting. She is currently interning at Youth Haven Services in Reidsville, N.C.

Reflecting on her decision to go into social work and comparing it to the purpose of a union, Martin says, โ€œSocial work is a bit like a union in that we seek to lift up and protect the voices of the unheard, to work within communities so the larger good can be reached. I am finding my way to a group of people who need help lifting up their voices and need an advocate to help them on their way. My dad instilled this in me โ€“ to fight for others and help those who need a voice.โ€

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