Every other week, the Warrior Word interviews a Hebrew Academy staff member and delves into various elements of their persona, such as their origins, hobbies, and any additional knowledge that they have to share. This week, the Warrior Word sat down with the Science Department’s’ most recent addition, Dr. Martin, to discuss his background and experience at school.
Miriam Cohen: Thank you for taking the time to come to this interview. First up, where were you born and raised?
Dr. Martin: I was born here in Miami, moved to Pembroke Pines for school, and came back recently last summer.
MC: What are your hobbies?
DM: Not going to lie, my hobbies are a little boring, but I really like reading, being outdoors, and hiking. Every once in a while I’ll play video games, but if you see me at home after school, I’m usually reading or actually cooking. Cooking is my creative outlet.
MC: How long have you been teaching?
DM: I taught at a school in Chicago on the Lower West Side for a couple of years.
MC: What did you do before?
DM: After I did my Ph.D, I worked at the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral researcher, which is basically between a graduate student and a professor. I did that for a year and studied pancreatic cancer and how we can treat people who have pancreatic cancer who are resistant to chemotherapy. After that, I worked for a start-up in New Jersey that was based on identifying new antibiotics for in hospitals. That was based on the work I did for my Ph.D.
MC: What inspired you to teach?
DM: I love teaching. Education has always been my passion and the thing that I find most life-giving. I took a diversion away from teaching to do research for a while to see if I enjoy doing research more than I love teaching, and the answer was no. So, now I’m back.
MC: What made you decide to come to Hebrew Academy and how has your experience been?
DM: I applied to Hebrew Academy last summer and got the job but then got another position. But, my sister, Ms. Martin, got a job in the English Department. When Ms. Benguigui had a medical leave, and Ms. Hyman was going to leave soon, Hebrew Academy reached out if I still wanted the position. I just got a position to start teaching in a medical department in New Jersey in June, so I was able to have these five to six months to come and teach at the Hebrew Academy. Thank Hashem, everything is fine with Ms. Benguigui and I love working with her. I really like working here. Everyone has a very large personality and loves sharing their thoughts. I love learning where each student comes from, what they like, what they want to do in the future, and I love giving them the opportunity to learn about something, in my case biology.
Compiled by: Miriam Cohen