photo by steed media service

Oftentimes, life doesn’t go as planned. But the unexpected hurdles that we’re forced to jump can lead us to unforeseen good fortune. Such was the case for Esther Martinez, studio designer for General Motors. “I was a 25-year-old single parent with no education and a pink slip,” she confides. “I think at that point I had hit rock bottom, and I think everybody can relate to being at that point in their life.”

Martinez enrolled in a training program offered by the nonprofit organization Focus: HOPE and passed the entrance exam, which led to an internship with GM.

“All I had to do was interview for the job,” explains Martinez, “so it just seemed like once I set my mind on doing the right thing, the doors of opportunity were opening for me.”

Martinez, who was hired by GM in 2000, works to ease the product transition from the design desk to the showroom floor. “I’m like a translator between design and engineering. I have to create the synergy that it takes to create a beautifully designed, well-engineered part,” says Martinez, adding that she wants the world to understand that while jumping hurdles may be difficult, nothing is impossible.

“I’m not going to say it was easy — for me, it was taking it day-by-day,” she says. “If there’s anything that I desire, it’s to inspire. Everything is achievable, if you put forth the effort. Whatever field you want to go into, you have to have the heart for it and you have to be willing to put in the work.” –todd williams

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