Lori Martinez

I’ve lived my life in border communities. Raised in the Farmington area, my family roots lie in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. In 1998, I moved to Las Cruces to attend New Mexico State University, fell in love with southern New Mexico, and got my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work.

Complexity has been embedded into the story of my life for as long as I can remember. I was born to a young mom who had given birth to my older brother 13 months before having me. Being a single, working mom, she made the difficult decision to give me up for adoption to her older brother and his wife, who had also adopted a niece from her side of the family. Often called kinship care, I was raised understanding that is simply part of how families care for each other when we go through hard times. I always knew I was adopted, and will always be grateful to my adoptive and birth parents that I never had to wonder about my roots. Now a mother myself, I understand even more how important that was.

When I was 7, my parents adopted 3 sibilngs who were in foster care from the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department. Altogether I have 6 siblings, both adopted and biological. And like many families in New Mexico, my family is big, with many primos, tíos, abuelos, y más. 

Few in my immediate family had the privilege to go to college. My adoptive father was a Vietnam veteran with an 8th grade education, who became a mechanic after coming back from the war. My adoptive mom was a nurse before getting married and becoming a homemaker. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go to college, moving to Las Cruces in 1998 to attend NMSU.