Helloooo all! My name is Nancy Martinez, and I’m a junior at Jones studying Civil Engineering and hailing from the one and only Houston, Texas. I am primarily interested in urban planning and transportation, with the hopeful goal of helping cities become more accessible and enjoyable. Lately, though, I’ve found myself just as excited about creating, designing, and manufacturing things with my own two hands, which is exactly why I am excited to be taking this course. 

I’m a proud subscriber to the belief of “why should I hire someone to do it when I can do it myself”. I love creating, sculpting, designing, and building, and I’m happiest when I finally complete a project I have been working on for a while. Whether it’s a bus stop, bridge, or a spoon rest, I take pride in the things I’ve helped to put into the world and cannot wait to fabricate even more projects I’m proud of during my time in EDES 210. Through this class, I hope to expand the scope (and the scale) of the projects I can take on. 

Beyond my newfound love for DIY, I care deeply about the communities and extracurriculars that I’ve found at Rice. I’m heavily involved in Mariachi Luna Llena, where I currently serve as President. I’m also the Finance Manager of Rice Bikes, helping keep bikes functional and damage-free for the Houston community. Beyond these, some of my other passions include long walks, musicals, coffee, gardening, and laundry. 

Despite being a frequent and enthusiastic visitor to the OEDK, this will be my first official EDES course. I’m excited to expand my knowledge of the many modern machines within the space, especially the new embroidery machine. I love watching creative ideas turn into real, tangible objects, and I’m hoping that many of my half-imagined ideas finally come to fruition thanks to this class. Thank you all for reading, super excited to be here!