Free Ride finalist meets heartbreak with perseverance
If you drive to Fairview Oklahoma, you’ll have a bright smile ready to say hello.
If you drive to Fairview Oklahoma, you’ll have a bright smile ready to say hello.
If you drive to Fairview Oklahoma, you’ll have a bright smile ready to say hello.
One of our Free Ride finalists has chosen to meet heartbreak with perseverance.
If you drive to Fairview Oklahoma, you’ll have a bright smile ready to say hello.
Sydney Martens is one of those rare do-it-all high school seniors. She is the head of her class, student council president, senior class vice president, FFA chapter vice president, plays varsity basketball and is a church camp counselor.
Martens does it all and does it all with a smile.
"I love school. My mom says I'm not normal because I love going to school. Summers are not as fun for me, which I think is not normal for kids I wouldn't say!" Martens said.
Beneath the smile is also pain and strength she’s found in its wake. Less than one year ago, her father Adam Martens, a man she described as her biggest cheerleader, died suddenly in a farming accident.
Her father was 43.
"There were days when I just wanted to sit in a room and cry. I didn't want to be student council president. I didn't want to be the person that everybody knows; that everybody wants to talk to in the hall. I just wanted to not smile. Sit in my mom's office. And cry," Martens said.
When KOCO 5 first met her, she told us about her father’s influence.
"Lots of little things remind me of him," Martens said.
She told us how for a while after her father’s death, she didn’t even want to play basketball, a game they both loved. Eventually, she realized she wanted to play for him.
"Senior night in basketball was really hard because I walked out with my mom and not my dad," Martens said.
In her grief, she said she is finding purpose and a reason to do and be her best.
"I know that wherever I want to be, I want to make a positive impact there. And that's all that really matters to me. I want to love people. I want to make other people feel loved," Martens said.
In the most difficult year of her life, she continues to strive for greatness for herself and for others. Anyone would understand if Martens pulled back and withdrew, but instead she is as involved and as impressive as ever.
Martens has perfect grades and just as involved in school, church and athletics. This year, she is a member of the state superintendent’s student advisory council and the Make-A-Wish youth leadership council.
Adam Martens had high expectations for his daughter and his daughter has high expectations for herself.
"I know that he thought I could do whatever I wanted — he said I could write a book if I wanted. And so... I think I would just tell him that I'm going to do, I'm going to do it — I'm going to do whatever I want to do and I will be successful at it," Martens said.
She plans to study marketing and international business at the university where her parents fell in love: Oklahoma State. The $25,000 Free Ride Scholarship would be a true blessing for a family who just lost a father, husband and breadwinner.
"We're a single income family and so we want to help her through as much of her college as we can without her taking on student loan debt and that kind of stuff, so this is really, really amazing," said Sydney’s mom, Nicole Martens.
A new Civic from Eskridge Honda never hurts either.
Her father taught her a lot in the 17 years she had with him and his passing has taught her even more. Her attitude, kindness and strength through struggle are to be celebrated.