Diana Martinez ’25 named a Delta Scholar

Lincoln Scholar Diana Martinez ’25 (Harvey, La.) was named to the 2022 Delta Scholars Program (DSP), joining an elite group of scholars for an experience beginning on June 20. This two-part academic and community engagement program is aimed at talented and socially conscious college students interested in moving Mississippi and the Delta region toward a brighter, more just tomorrow.

The current cohort for this year is comprised of 18 students from 10 colleges and universities selected for their academic achievements and commitment to public service. They will participate in a ten-day Summer Institute in Mississippi followed by a five-day trip to Boston and Harvard University in the fall. Both experiences form a cohort of young leaders thinking critically about systemic injustices in the Mississippi Delta, with each Scholar developing a project that will produce positive social change in their communities.

“What attracted me to the DSP was that it focuses on issues in the Mississippi Delta region,” Martinez says. “I live outside of New Orleans where there is always a need to bring about positive social change, especially concerning the systemic injustice in the growing inaccessibility to a college education for the undocumented community. This opportunity will help me develop a project dedicated to helping undocumented youth all throughout the Delta region.”

“I’m very excited for Diana,” says Robert Schalkoff, director of the Office of Fellowships. “Not only is this a great opportunity for her to engage with an issue about which she’s passionate but also to be surrounded by other students equally passionate about enacting change in the Delta Region.”

Following the Summer Institute, the Delta Scholars will reconnect in the fall for five days at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. This trip provides an opportunity for students to share updates on their projects, receive continuing feedback, reflect on lessons learned from the program, and discuss how those lessons might be applied to solving other problems in or outside of Mississippi. The Scholars also engage with Harvard students and faculty working on Mississippi issues, including Harvard Law students in the Mississippi Delta Project. The goal of this intellectual exchange is to provide both sides with fresh perspectives, promote dialogue that can push their work forward, and foster networks of young leaders that might collaborate in the future.

“I’m looking forward to other first-year students and sophomores pursuing these types of competitive summer fellowships in the future,” Schalkoff added.

Martinez commitment to this cause is evidenced by the groundwork she’s laid in the region.

“I was very fortunate to have worked with the Immigrant Youth Empowerment Forum in New Orleans, an organization dedicated to supporting undocumented youth in Louisiana, and helped create the first collection of text and visual arts by immigrant youth in the Greater New Orleans area.

“One day, I’d like to be an immigration lawyer and provide pro bono services,” Martinez continues. “My long-term mission is to be able to advocate for the undocumented community and work toward immigration reform in the United States. This opportunity will help me advocate for undocumented youth and destigmatize negative stereotypes and ideas about the undocumented community.”

In Martinez’s acceptance letter, Dr. Tommy Anderson, interim dean of the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University, was effusive in his praise.

“You exemplify the leadership and passion to move the state of Mississippi towards a brighter, more just tomorrow.”

The Delta Scholars program is a collaborative effort between the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University, Mississippi State University’s Southern Rural Development Center, University of Mississippi’s Center for Population Studies, the Delta Directions Consortium, the Harvard School of Public Health, the Harvard Law School, the Phillips Brooks House Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship at Harvard College, and Brandeis University.

“I am so excited to learn from my peers, researchers, non-profit organizations and community members during my time in the Delta Scholars Program,” Martinez says.