Gina Oviedo Martinez

I definitely think my mom was the biggest influence on my success. She was really big about school - education was everything in our house. I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of TV as a child, so I read constantly and was at the library all the time. That foundation she gave me led me to love school so much that I got four degrees and went to school forever, until I basically couldn't go to school anymore. I have two library degrees, an associate's, and a bachelor's, and I even tried jobs outside of academia but ended up back in academia because I just like school so much. Beyond my mom's influence, I've been incredibly fortunate to have amazing women mentors throughout my career. My teacher Roxanna Levine at St. Petersburg College got me into Latin American studies and helped me go to Mexico multiple times, which eventually led to me going to Brazil and learning Portuguese. My dean Amy Busquet was so inspirational during COVID when I was having a really hard time with my autism. She got me help with depression, made sure I was on time with everything, and was instrumental in me getting tenure - she even waited after hours when I forgot my tenure portfolio at home the day it was due. And Alicia Ellison, who I call my work mom, helped me put my 10-year portfolio together and has supported my career development for 10 years now. Without those four women, I would not be where I am - there's absolutely no way. I also think my work ethic, which my mom instilled in me, has been crucial. Autistic people have a really hard time holding down jobs, and people have been surprised I've been able to maintain employment for a very long time without a lot of breaks. I think that's part of my mom putting a good work ethic into me, but also learning to work around the issues I'm having. Being able to achieve tenure as one of only 10% of librarians offered tenure is something I'm incredibly proud of, especially given the challenges with autism in the workplace. What really drives me, though, is the impact I have on students. I got a letter yesterday from a student sent to the dean talking about what a great job I did, and that's why I do this job. It's not for money or prestige - I'm most proud when I get letters from students showing they're getting something out of it. My kids also inspire me - I had them really young, I was a teenage mom, and a lot of people say you can't do stuff as a teenage mom, and that's just crap. You can totally do it. My two sons are the light of my life, and it's very exciting to see them growing and thriving.

The best career advice I've received has come from the incredible women who have supported me throughout my journey. My mother is the most important and supportive person to me - no matter what I'm doing, she's been a fantastic support and empowered me. I'm very grateful for being raised with somebody who is so inspiring and who has been uplifting me since day one. She taught me that education is everything, which led me to pursue four degrees and build my entire career in academia. I also had a teacher in grade school, Roxanna Levine, who teaches at St. Petersburg College, and she was incredibly inspiring in getting me into Latin American studies. She recognized that I learned faster than anybody and got me doing things like translating for people and tutoring by the time I was young. She started me on a path that led to me being able to go to Mexico multiple times and eventually to Brazil where I learned Portuguese, all because of this particular woman. Amy Busquet, who was my dean, was incredibly inspirational and a great support during COVID when I was struggling with depression. She got me access to resources and helped me succeed in my career, and because of her I was able to achieve tenure. She even waited after hours for me when I forgot my tenure portfolio at home the day it was due. And Alicia Ellison, the woman who works with me who I consider my work mom, helped me put my 10-year portfolio together and helped me develop my career over the 10 years we've worked together. She even read a book about how to work with autistic people when I started working there because she wanted to understand me better. There have been incredibly impactful women along my path, and I'm incredibly grateful for each and every one of them and the impact they've made. The people I've gotten the most encouragement from in my life have been women, and I look forward to impacting the next generation and other women in the same way.

My advice to young women is to find something you're passionate about, because there's a way to bring it into every job. Don't ever think that just because you have a small job or you're not in an important position, you can't make a difference. I'll give you an example - when I was a children's librarian at the Clearwater Library, I was just a part-time worker, I wasn't anybody important, but I decided I wanted to do Hispanic outreach because there were no Hispanic people coming in and it was a highly Hispanic area. I went out to lavanderias, restaurants, and churches, gave speeches, and handed out information to get people to come in. When I left that job, I had done so much of it that they created a permanent position just to do that work. This was back in 2009, and those effects are still happening there today - I think that's really cool. The same thing happened with my autism work. It came up because it was affecting me, and I decided that something needed to be different for other people. It doesn't matter if you have a small job - you can have a great idea and you can have people run with it. That was my first serious library job, and I had this idea, and I just went with it, and it turned into something permanent. Don't ever doubt yourself - you are somebody important, and the effect you'll have on others and the impact you'll have can have a ripple effect in the future. When you're serious about what you want to do, you can dedicate yourself to that and turn it into something permanent as a passion and a career. Whatever my special interest is at the time, I do it 150% - it's a very autistic trait, but I'm very dedicated. When you're passionate about what you do and you put that kind of dedication into it, the effects you have in your career are everlasting. I really want to bring other women up, especially young women who tell me all the time they feel kind of beat down. I want them to know they can be successful even if they have barriers, because at the community college, everybody has a barrier.

In my work and personal life, my most important value is family - I have an incredibly close family. My two sons, who are 24 and almost 26, are the light of my life, and it's very exciting to see them growing and thriving. My younger son lives with his fiancee and they're getting married, which is really exciting for me. I love doing stuff with her and do a lot of mentoring with her - she just got her first real job and I've been coaching her on how to do that, how to look professional, and helping her navigate that. I live with my older son who bought a house, and I'm grateful for that support, especially after going through a difficult divorce a couple years ago. Beyond family, I value education deeply - my mom raised me to believe that school was everything, and I love learning so much that I got four degrees and keep coming back to academia. I also value making an impact on students' lives. What drives me most is when I get letters from students showing they're getting something out of my work - that's why I do this job, not for money or prestige. In my downtime, reading is very important to me, which sounds like a very librarian thing but that is truly my passion. I also enjoy music - I really like EDM and reggaeton music, and Britney Spears because she's awesome. I even got my daughter-in-law into all the nice 2000s music. I have two cats, Momo and Onyx, who are important to me as well. Most importantly, I value being able to support and uplift other women, especially younger women. I really want to bring other women up and show them what's possible, because I feel like there's been a really big attack on women the last few years, and young women tell me all the time they feel kind of beat down. I want them to be successful and know they can do it even if they have barriers.