After she graduated from Akins in 2005, School Resource Officer Jessica Martinez had a long road ahead of her and at the conclusion of it she ended up back at Akins.
Martinez, upon graduation, wanted to be a probation officer.
“I originally wanted to be a probation officer but quickly learned I didn’t want to deal with kids who were already in the Juvenile Justice System,” Martinez said. “ I took some criminal justice classes right after high school but then entered a fire academy.
After six months, Martinez graduated from the fire academy as a Firefighter/EMT-B, but it didn’t stop there.
“I got a full time job as a firefighter soon after I graduated from the academy,” Martinez said.
Martinez still felt something was missing.
“I really enjoyed my firefighting job but I still had interest in working with juveniles so I started looking into AISD PD,” Martinez said. “I knew the roll of an SRO officer and I felt it fit my interest of wanting to work with students.”
After Martinez went through a police academy, she applied to AISD PD. In 2011 she was hired and eventually ended up back at Akins.
“I never thought I would be back at Akins,” Martinez said. “Some of the staff members are still the same as when I was a student here. The weirdest part is being partners with Officer Clayton since he was here when I was a student.”
Martinez feels that Akins has changed for the better.
“Akins has changed a lot since I was here,” Martinez said. “Akins was still new and the students and staff were still adjusting to each other. The school is a lot more organized now and I feel the administration believes in the students and truly wants the best for them.”
Also, Martinez feels she and the students get along well.
“I think I have a pretty good understanding with the students here at Akins,” Martinez said. “Not only do I deal with students in a criminal manner but I like to help the students with future goals or any other issues they are having. Akins HS has the smartest and coolest students in the district. These students are capable of accomplishing any goals in life and I’m excited to see where they end up.”
Some of Martinez’s hobbies are spending time with her family and her dog Astro. She also likes going to Town Lake and attending Austin Festivals.
