By Stephanie Wang

Congratulations to Dr. Erlinda Martinez who retired as president of Santa Ana College last week after 11 years of service. Her good work and advocacy for Santa Ana College have made a lasting impression on the community. The Centennial Garden, marking 100th anniversary of the college in 2015, was renamed the Martinez Centennial Garden in honor of Dr. Martinez. Earlier this year she was named the “Woman of the Year” by Assemblymember Tom Daly for the 69th Assembly District which included Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Garden Grove.

Her contributions to the college have varied from achievements such as helping Santa Ana College rank as one of the top community colleges for Hispanic students, to making remarkable strides towards expanding and improving resources and facilities. There is no doubt that her leadership had strengthened the college.

Dr. Martinez received her doctorate in education from the University of Southern California, her master’s degree in counselor education from CSU, Los Angeles, and her bachelor’s in sociology from UC Riverside.

We wish her the best in her well-deserved retirement.

For more information, visit Santa Ana College.