Mary Martinez

Mary has always displayed a strong attention to detail and a proclivity for helping others. After majoring in English and minoring in Japanese, proofreading was a natural first step into the exciting world of print and digital media. She started out writing articles for TextBroker and editing online coursework at DeVry University, both finetuning her editing skills and advancing her lifelong journey to learn. She then moved on to editing catalogs and marketing material from beginning to end at Essendant. She continues to uphold standards of excellence while learning more about the behind the scenes of publishing.

On the weekends, Mary can often be found volunteering as an Early Childhood Docent at the Hamill Family Play Zoo in Brookfield Zoo. She loves to encourage learning through play and exploration. She teaches zoo guests of all ages how to pet different kinds of animals from bunnies to snakes to Madagascar hissing cockroaches. During the height of the pandemic when zoo attendance was low and volunteering opportunities evaporated, Mary volunteered to assemble and edit the Volunteer Nature Walk Newsletter, an informal collection of stories and nature observations made by zoo volunteers in their own backyards. She also enjoys playing video games with her nephew, baking bizarre vegan desserts, and spending time with her cats, cockatiel, and blue tongue skink.