Maria Martinez is SBU’s 2025 Alumni Honoree

Maria Martinez was honored on November 13, 2025 at the South Bronx United 15th Annual Benefit.

Maria Martinez graduated from Lehman College in 2025 with a degree in Psychology, and also competed for the Women’s Soccer Team. She is currently a case manager at Bronxworks. Ms. Maria joined South Bronx United in 2012 in sixth grade shortly after immigrating from Mexico. She had moved to the Bronx with her mother, in search of a better life and better opportunities. While excelling on the soccer field with SBU and in the classroom in the SBU Academy, Ms. Martinez also became a referee and coach in South Bronx United’s community programs. In 2020, she represented South Bronx United on a global stage traveling to Berlin, Germany to accept the Sport for Good Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards in front of athletes, Olympians, and dignitaries. Ms. Martinez is a graduate of South Bronx Community Charter School. Thanks to SBU’s immigration legal services, she was able to get her legal permanent residency and eventually become a United States citizen in 2022.