North Marion Grad Says Being Involved in ASB Changed His Life

By Jillian Daley

In seventh grade, student leader Ime Guzman Martinez, who graduated from North Marion with stacks of honors this year, was a shy student who felt like he didn’t fit in.

Middle School Teacher/Instructional Coach Chelsea Landry suggested that he join the student council, a group of leaders that organizes activities like dances for the school, much as Associated Student Body (ASB) does at the High School. Guzman Martinez took her advice, and he no longer felt so alone with a whole club of supporters.

“It changed my life,” Guzman Martinez says. “I had a hard time in Middle School. Middle School was definitely not for me. I’m sure there are other students who have felt the same way. ASB and student council saved me.”

Since then, Landry has watched him grow into a confident, college-bound student.

“Ime has always been a motivated, gregarious student who sees what can be improved and seeks to help make those improvements in whatever way he can,” she says. “Since he was in Middle School in seventh grade as a student council representative, he has always been brainstorming ways to make the North Marion community better, and then he uses his ingenuity and people skills to make those things happen.”

Although he has grown a great deal, it hasn’t been easy for Guzman Martinez. First of all, although he is now bilingual, Spanish is his family language. That’s because, while he and his three siblings grew up in Oregon, his parents were immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico. Second of all, the middle school years come with more responsibility coupled with physical and mental changes that can be overwhelming. But his teachers and family supported him, and being involved gave him strength.

In High School, he joined ASB, which will be signing up students during school registration from Aug. 23 to 25. Students in ASB and student council basically lead their peers, organizing fundraisers; events including homecoming, winter formal, prom; and an annual assembly to stoke school spirit. 

“ASB is a family, and those are connections that you never lose,” Guzman Martinez says.

By the time he graduated this June, Guzman Martinez was not only involved, he was leading things as the ASB President and the MEChA President. He was also: Key Club Vice President, School Board student representative, District Strategic Planning Team member, Hybrid Committee student representative, and Site Council student representative. 

In addition, he was a Biliteracy Seal recipient and has landed at least four scholarships. He plans to study education and to be a North Marion High School teacher, a career path that came to him with ASB. ASB members develop a greater understanding of their school, while working as leaders organizing events and activities. 

“ASB definitely helped me know what I wanted to be after developing skills helping people in a school environment,” he says.

He’s been so involved that he already has some teaching practice before even going to college, also volunteering as a Teacher Assistant for the AVID Elective class that Landry teaches.

“As a peer tutor for AVID, he also helped make change happen and really mentored a lot of Middle School students and inspired them to pursue leadership and the many different clubs that he was a part of,” Landry says. “He is going to be a student who goes on to do great things with his life, and I am so proud of everything that he has and will continue to do!”

Guzman Martinez notes that one of the best parts has been helping people through ASB’s fundraisers, including Lavender Week, which raised nearly $1,000 for cancer research, and Holiday Hope Week, which collected more than $900 to provide gifts and food to families in December. 

ASB Adviser Mark Sundquist says that he is proud of the students, including Guzman Martinez, for easily grasping the key purpose of ASB: being responsible, capable leaders who help others.

“The biggest goal for me as an adviser is to empower the kids and to equip them,” explained Sundquist, also the High School Vice Principal of Student Support Programs and Athletic Director. “Take their ideas, their suggestions, everything they have; try to let them make a decision on their own, but equip them with what they need to be able to pull it off.”

Sundquist’s support has benefited not only Guzman Martinez but so many other students, including Yadira Romero Navarro, last year’s ASB Vice President and the 2022-23 ASB President. Romero Navarro says that participating in ASB has made her more confident.

“I have been able to be in front of crowds without being scared or nervous,” she says.

She also loves giving back to the community through efforts such Holiday Hope Week and she enjoys collaborating with other ASB members, including 2022-23 ASB Vice President Kenley Doubrava. Doubrava says ASB offers a crucial learning experience.

“We definitely learn better leadership and communication skills, and just working better as a team and making sure that everyone gets involved and everyone has a say in what happens,” she says.

Those are skills that can last a lifetime. In fact, Guzman Martinez plans to be involved in student government when he heads off to college because it has been integral to his growth as a leader.

“What I like the most about ASB is that I was able to figure out a lot of things about myself as a student,” he says. “I learned a lot of skills that definitely helped me in being more open minded and more willing to help and be ready to help. I think it would be called servant leadership.”

To share stories on the North Marion School District, email Communications Specialist Jillian Daley at jillian.daley@nmarion.k12.or.us.