Iris (Florez) Martinez

I started my career at the University of Miami in 2014, reading applications as a student and then getting offered a full-time job recruiting high school students to come study at the university. For close to 8 years, I recruited in various territories across the U.S., particularly here in Miami-Dade County, and I led the admission review committee, which gave me a really inside look at how highly selective colleges read applications. That experience led me to my current position at Christopher Columbus High School, which is a 9th through 12th grade private all-boys Marist school. They brought me in to start and lead a new department in college counseling, which has now expanded significantly. Just a year ago, I got promoted to oversee school counseling as well, so now I oversee both college counseling and school counseling for the high school. I develop curriculum for both departments and help students navigate and prepare for their post-secondary plans. It's incredibly rewarding to see a student from 9th grade kind of exploring, all the way through 12th grade, seeing the young men that they've become and what they want to do with their lives. They can lead too many different paths, but we support every path. I'm very data-driven, and data is usually the engine of everything I do. I'm obsessed with networking and putting myself out there, finding ways to connect with people and relationship building. If someone were to describe me, they really do describe me as the Energizer Bunny, because I don't turn off. I'm always looking at how I can add value to whatever it is that I do, and how others can also add value to me. I'm always looking for new ventures and new projects, and I never close the door on that.