Making Food Security More Attainable
Incoming MSES student Marissa Martinez (MSES '25) shares her vision for the future and what it means to be the program's first STEM Promise recipient.
Marissa Martinez's father emigrated from Mexico to the United States when he was 14 years old in search of opportunity, food security, and a prosperous future for his family.
Today, Martinez (MSES '25) follows in his footsteps as she endeavors to help as many people as possible obtain food security and other basic needs. She’s done that for six years at wholesale food distributor KeHE, where she managed a multi-million-dollar food rescue program and donation network as a supply chain analyst and manager for inventory health.
A Leap of Faith
The role was her "dream job," until her dreams began to get bigger.
Martinez is passionate about the intersection of food and energy, where she believes more innovation will be needed for the world's growing population.
"I realized that I had become a subject matter expert in this [supply chain] realm," Martinez said, "and I believed with my entire spirit that I could use that wisdom to help more people than just those impacted by the corporation."
To help make that possible, Martinez took a leap of faith, turning to Northwestern's Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability (MSES) program. MSES is jointly offered by Northwestern Engineering and the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy.
Finding Talent in All Communities
Already a standout in her career, Martinez is also a special member of the MSES Class of 2025 as the program's inaugural STEM Promise recipient. The highly competitive scholarship support applicants across Northwestern Engineering's Office of Professional Education whose profiles are unconventional yet who show strong indicators for success in graduate study.
"The scholarship symbolizes Northwestern’s commitment to fostering excellence in STEM fields," said assistant dean Ward Lavino. "Sustainability touches all communities. It's important to have representation in our cohort that brings diverse experience and perspectives into our classrooms."
Martinez describes being overcome with tears of joy when she found out about the recognition.
"The STEM Promise program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Martinez said. "It's a huge blessing for me. It is giving me the opportunity to focus on my studies and the impact I want to make on the world."
Martinez began classes in September.
"Everything about the program is impressive, from the curriculum to the faculty," she said. "I was drawn to MSES because I dream of a more sustainable world where people, purpose, and planet come before profits. I believe when you focus on the first three, the fourth will come."
Now she's ready to spend a year learning as much as possible so she can turn around and help others fulfill her father's vision.
"MSES is giving me the opportunity to learn from an incredibly knowledgeable faculty and from a cohort with various perspectives and backgrounds," she said. "I am ready to bring what I have learned from the corporate world into the classroom to create the solutions needed for our evolving world."