Spotlight on CASL Staff Member Patti Martin

May 13, 2022

Enjoy the following Q&A with Patti Martin, Experiential Learning Coordinator, CASL Internship Center.

Name:  Patti Martin
Position:  Experiential Learning Coordinator, CASL Internship Center
Years at UM-Dearborn: 28

What does a typical workday look like for you? 

I usually start by taking care of emails.  I like trying to get my Google Inbox down to a manageable amount as early in the day as I can. The busiest hours for student appointments and other meetings is between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.  Most days that leaves time later in the day to work on projects, such as getting new internship opportunities for CASL students.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I love the balance between helping students and helping employers, with a healthy dose of strategy and program administration thrown in the mix.  It’s nearly impossible to get tired of any one of those three parts of my job.  Getting to do all three is why I love my job! 

What was your first job?

My very first jobs were baby-sitting and paper routes.  But my first not-under-the-table job was in a nursing home.  I was 16 and I passed out graham crackers and lemonade, which was called “nourishment.”  It sounds like a hundred years ago doesn’t it?  It must have been before nursing homes figured out that sugar might not be very nourishing.

What do you do to relax?

Theater is my biggest hobby.  In fact, I’m planning to see a pre-Broadway show in Chicago soon.  I also enjoy being at home with my husband, Brad and my dog, Rosie.  The times when the three of us are relaxing on our deck are heaven to me.

If you could have any one skill or talent that you don’t already have, what would it be?

I wish I had a trained ear and a more sophisticated knowledge of music.  I know just enough to realize how little about it I really understand.

What’s the proudest moment of your life?

Being asked by a national professional development organization to write a book about experiential learning.  Perhaps I should say that the day we completed the book was my proudest moment.

If we were to create a UM-Dearborn playlist, what song would you want to include?

I’m really out of touch with popular music because all I listen to are NPR and Broadway cast albums.  So I’ll include a show tune in the playlist:  “All the Livelong Day” from the musical Working.

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I’m an amateur actor and have appeared in over 40 shows.  My favorite roles include Alan Turing’s mother in Breaking the Code, Chiffon in Little Shop of Horrors, and Mrs. Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank.

What’s one thing you wish you had known when you were a teenager?

That it gets better.