Lilly Martinez

Lilly Martinez is currently in their sophomore year at Morro Bay High School. Along with starting their second year of high school, they are continuing their passion for journalism and softball. Over the summer they worked with future Morro Bay Pirates at the Kids Camp of Morro Bay.

 Like many, they faced immense struggles when beginning their high school journey. They were faced with increased anxiety and depression before the start of their freshman year. When reflecting on the hardship they said, “Trying to learn how to manage that while being in a new setting was interesting.” However, Martinez attributes being able to traverse and conquer that challenge to her family and internal growth.

When asked about why they chose to come back to journalism for a second year, Martinez showcased their underlying passion for the field. “It’s a class that I have a lot of fun in. It’s really interesting to me to go out and find stories about people or places and write about it and kind of get that knowledge into other people… and find the part of them that otherwise wouldn’t have found the light of day.” Martinez also has a more personal connection to journalism as their mother was a journalist “for a number of years.”

Along with journalism, Martinez holds a strong passion for softball. Their first year of high school softball did not go exactly as planned. The team faced a difficult season and was only able to win one game. This did not stop Martinez from positively reflecting on their time on the team. More precisely, they stated that one of their favorite memories was the team’s solo victory. It was the team’s senior night against Santa Maria High School. The team was able to rally together in order to honor their sole senior. Martinez said, “We mercy ruled the other team. We were up by 15 when we won, so that was cool.”