Jaime Martinez: Striving for Mental Health Awareness

At 6'5", 240 pounds, Jaime Martinez had a larger-than-life presence on the baseball field. When the UC Irvine baseball program was returning from a 10-season hiatus, Martinez was one of the Anteaters on that very first team back helping drive UCI baseball to the heights it has reached. That success wasn't apparent at the time. Like with Martinez and his passion in life, he saw the potential the program had before there was even any structure supporting it.

"Coach Jason Gill gave me and my parents a tour of the UC Irvine campus. When it was time to see the baseball field I remembered seeing nothing but sand. Coach Gill asked me to trust and visualize that the field would one day be one of the best playing fields in the country. He was right."

The foundation was being laid for the 'Eaters to resurrect its dormant program for the 2002 season. Martinez was going to be one of the many high school and junior college players with an opportunity to rebuild the program from the ground up.

Martinez felt fortunate to have success to that point playing three years of varsity baseball for Hueneme High School in his native of Oxnard, California.

"Fortunately, I had a lot of support and success early on at Hueneme High School. I began gaining the attention of college coaches and scouts. I gained additional exposure during my time playing in the Area Code games. When UC Irvine expressed interest I was excited. It checked off a lot of boxes. Not only because of the baseball program, but because of UC Irvine's academic reputation; plus the campus was close-enough to home."

A field that would rival the surface at Dodger Stadium, a team that would compete on a national level, and Martinez had an opportunity to compete for a starting job all laid out by the coaching staff. With an understandable mix of emotions from excitement to skepticism, it all ended on his belief that he was going to be part of a new beginning.

"I remember being in awe at the level of talent and competition surrounding me at UC Irvine. The game moved a lot quicker and I knew we were all going to make each other better."

Martinez soon was standing at first base on opening night. The excitement in the air, the buzz, the anticipation for the first pitch with the entire team filled with nerves of excitement that they were starting this program back up again.

That competitive edge shone through for 180 games that Martinez played in an Anteater uniform. One of just four 'Eaters to hit 20 home runs in his career. Among the all-time leaders in runs batted in. He is part of the most-recent triple play the team has turned. The accomplishments are there, and couldn't have happened without the support of his team. He was even part of two different coaching staffs as Head Coach John Savage brought him into the fold, and by the end, Dave Serrano was calling the shots. Over both regimes, Martinez understood the importance of relationships.

"My parents, Jaime and Graciela Martinez, instilled in our family good values and a hard work ethic. They also taught us the importance of building good relationships. I carried these lessons to UC Irvine on and off the field. Being a good teammate, picking people up when they were having a tough day and striving for progress is the mindset I tried to practice every day. The relationships we built as teammates and the competition we experienced is something I will never forget. My time at UC Irvine has been a very important chapter my life."

Martinez was the first one in his family to go off to a university which was both special and daunting as he recollects on. Moving from Ventura County to the OC was a bit of a culture shock which made his connections and support back home all the more important to stay grounded.

"I had people back home I could check in with whether it was by phone, email or in person. Looking back I'm so grateful for the people that supported my journey. My gratitude and privilege, I believe, motivated me to become a social worker in the mental health field. Social services help provide support that otherwise would not be available for some. The reality is that life sometimes gets hard and having support makes it a little easier to navigate. Being a first generation student to attend UC Irvine makes me proud. Not everyone is as fortunate so I try to do my part to pay the support forward."

His support really started back home and on the high school level setting him up for success as a student as well. Starting out as an economics major for his first two years, he enjoyed it, but felt it wasn't for him.

"I appreciated the subject matter and the mathematics behind it, but economics was very business-oriented and it did not tap into my passion. I was more of a people-person and it was important for me to give back to my community. This contributed to my decision to switch majors from economics to sociology."

Martinez' next step was switching to social science where he quickly found his academic niche. The focus on social work, social problems, and finding solutions that help families and communities hit home, and he really leaned into that.

"I found myself excited to study and learn more about what social sciences had to offer. Economics was something I liked, but switching to sociology was something I fell in love with."

Martinez was still trying to make it in professional baseball upon graduating. Injuries at UC Irvine took a hit to his draft prospects, so he ventured out to Arizona to play for a travel ball team. He was part of a successful team that reached the Summer World Series and garnered the attention of some scouts. He returned back to Southern California joining up with an independent club in Long Beach for three seasons. Another injury arose, and Martinez knew that was the end of his baseball career.

"Baseball had been a big part of my life up to that point. I traveled the country and met amazing people while playing the game I loved. However, the injuries I sustained forced me to make peace with the fact that it was time for me to step away from the game."

Martinez landed at a granite company working with a high school friend. He had spent his off-seasons there that had kept him in shape while at Long Beach. It was tough work, Martinez recalled, but helped sustain him until he was given the opportunity to use his education.

"I began as a youth development specialist at a residential treatment facility. I worked closely with foster youth and 'at risk' youth ages 12-18 with social emotional and behavioral issues. My team helped clients develop and implement daily living skills, social skills, problem solving strategies and coping skills all while following a highly structured schedule."

Those youth would sleep there, wake up there, have breakfast there, go off to school, and come back for dinner and activities. Martinez and his group were there helping keep the youth safe and help them build skills to better cope with some of the situations they had gone through and were still working through with the ultimate goal to address the barriers that were getting in the way and reconnecting some of these youth back to their families when possible. He spent three years there before moving to outpatient work. Still in the field of mental health, but he was now part of a team at the clinic.

"I was part of a multi-disciplinary team consisting of case managers, therapists, nurses and psychiatrists. We provided mental health services to individuals diagnosed with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia."

For 10 years, Martinez was making a difference there, and all during his time at the clinic, he was working toward his master's degree, completing his hours, and attaining his license. Martinez jumped to the school setting in the Oxnard Union High School District.

"I am now a licensed clinical social worker and offer counseling services to high school students. The mission is to provide educationally related social emotional services to help students succeed at the high school level."

The mission hasn't wavered even now with COVID-19 complicating matters. They've incorporated zoom and technology to best adjust, but it hasn't stopped or changed the way that they do business. Martinez and his group still make contact with the students and the families offering them resources. Whether it's having tutors or parent educators, offering extra time for tests, getting another program involved to help the family with resource, or food or family therapy, or as simple as having them sit closer to a teacher – his holistic approach to support not only students but the families in need help students graduate from high school and move on to be productive citizens.

"Counseling is a very rewarding job. I like knowing that I'm supporting people as they strive to reach their goals. When I reflect on my experience I can't help but appreciate the people that encouraged me along the way. I feel good knowing that it's now my turn to help the next generation reach their goals."

Martinez was never one to be the center of attention. Even at 6-foot-5, he always kind of blended in, worked hard, kept his head down never looking for an accolade or acknowledgement. Like in his line of work, the conversation in and of itself is the reward.

"I love watching students overcome barriers and find success. Seeing students earn their diplomas when they didn't think it was possible teaches them they are capable of doing more than they think they can. We push for progress not perfection."

"Watching people put forth honest effort helps me stay motivated in my work. My wife Kelsie has also been a great source of support for me. Our daughter Ellie is a blessing and has helped me find a new purpose in life. Mental health is not something we can do on our own. It takes the support of others to feel connected and well. I am blessed that I have the opportunity to work in the mental health field. Healthy people promote healthy families which in turn has the potential to promote healthy communities."