Cedric Martin has attended UMB since the fall of 2001. Hailing from Lancaster Pennsylvania, Cedric came to Boston out of a desire to attend school and live in a big city. I had the opportunity to sit down with Cedric and ask him about his UMass experience.

Jordan Colon: Why did you decide to attend UMB?

Cedric Martin: Well, I graduated from high school in the spring of 2001. And I didn’t have a whole lot of direction in my life at that point. I was living in a small town and wanted to get out of that town. My track record was sketchy at best, so, I decided to move 350 miles north. I wanted to get my feet wet in post high school education. I started with night classes through continuing education [at UMB]… I decided to pursue a degree in English full time at UMass. That was my original passion, English literature.

JC: I understand that you have changed majors to sociology?

CM: I didn’t look at it as a career option. English was not progressing as much as I thought it would. I had some good classes and some bad classes. In any department, you’ll have strikes and gutters, ups and downs. I guess I just kind of got sick of hearing everyone’s opinion on a certain book we may have been reading. Maybe I just wasn’t open to other peoples positions, I don’t know, I don’t think that’s the point. Basically, my main interest started gearing towards sociological ways of thinking. Me as a person, my ways of thinking, fit more into the sociological field.

JC: You’re an artist as well?

CM: Yes. I think we always need to keep in touch with that creative aspect of ourselves. In a university you don’t have to study just one thing. So I’ve tried to explore my more creative sides down here at UMass. I tried to keep my artistic side moving, so I took a film analysis class then moved on to digital video. In the studio class I learned how to articulate my artistic endeavors. …I learned how to control what I wanted to express.

JC: Where do you see yourself in five years?

CM: I don’t know man. I can’t say what’s in store for myself. I’m trying to roll with the punches. Give it all I got. I cant’ say where I’ll be in five years. I’m not a goal-oriented person, but that hasn’t stopped me from accomplishing a lot in my life. I’m one of the most successful 21-year-olds I know, maybe not physically or financially, but my mental keenness and social awareness is unparallel. You got to be always ready to step up to the plate. As long as I still feel I’m progressing I’ll be happy. I could be in a ditch, hell, passed out, no contact with friends or relatives, once again wondering where the hell am I going, where am I? But really, I’m excited to be here at UMass and tackle another semester and see what I learn and gain from that. Five-year plans were never my thing. I never bought into them. Everybody’s five-year plan changes every six months, so what the hell is the point.

JC: What do you find most rewarding about attending UMass?

CM: Knowing I didn’t sell out and go to a lame school with campus life, dormitories, and frat parties.