Miss Alauna Martinez will be representing the U.S. Virgin Islands during Cherry Blossom Princess Festival week, April 1– 8, 2017 in Washington, DC.  She is a resident of Waldorf, MD and decided to pursue her undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, FL. Miss Martinez graduated as a 2016 Undergraduate Scholar with Honors from USF with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Spanish. She is the daughter of VIA Lifetime Member Chad Martinez and Maria Martinez, both native Virgin Islanders of St. Croix. Miss Martinez has been incredibly active during her time at USF. She served as Director of Community Outreach (2014-2015) and Vice-President (2015-2016) of the Pre-medical American Medical Student Association (PAMSA) – the largest pre-health organization on USF’s campus with over 800 members. She was inducted into the USF College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Student Leadership Society (DSLS) for which she served as Events Chair (2014-2016) and worked as an ambassador for the USF College of Arts and Sciences. Miss Martinez strongly believes we all have a civic duty to serve our community. In the past, she served as Activities Coordinator for Shriners Hospitals for Children and volunteered at St. Joseph’s John Knox Assisted Living Facility in the Alzheimer’s Unit. She took part in multiple service walks and helped to raise funds for various charities, to include the American Cancer Society, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and the Villa La Paz Foundation Center for Sick and Destitute Children in Peru. She currently serves as a Sunday school teacher for the Spanish Language Service Children’s Ministry at her local church. 

Miss Martinez developed an appreciation for travel very early on in life. Growing up with her father as an active-duty military service member, she traveled to multiple countries, spanning 3 continents and the Caribbean. In her sophomore year of college, she seized the opportunity to study abroad for one month in Costa Rica where she simultaneously earned 6 credit hours toward her Spanish minor. As a member of the USF Honors College, she spent her senior year completing research for her Honors Thesis entitled, “Humans of the Honors College: Using Photovoice as a Process for Developing an Ethnographic Assessment of Culture within the USF Honors College.” In April of 2016, Ms. Martinez had the opportunity to present her research at the USF Office of Undergraduate Research and Arts Colloquium. Her presentation earned her the 2016 Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award and her research project is now being used as a model in order to improve interpersonal communication within the Honors College.

Ms. Martinez plans to apply for dental school this summer. When she is not working as a Medical Scribe or studying for her Dental School Admissions test, Miss Martinez enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and relaxing on Rainbow beach in St. Croix while eating locally made coconut tart and guavaberry ice cream.