Cate Martin knew very early in her college career she wanted to make a difference in the lives of her peers. What started as curiosity about leadership opportunities quickly became a passion for service, guiding her into a role that would not only shape her collegiate experience but influence many other students as well.
Cate immediately got involved at The University of Alabama when she moved from Huntsville, Alabama. She served on the First-Year Council for the Student Government Association (SGA). The Student Judicial Board came to a meeting to discuss their role on campus, and Cate was impressed.
“Hearing about how they are able to interact with Student Conduct and SGA, that was something really interesting to me. At the time, I thought I may want to go into law. So, it was something that I felt would be good experience.”
Cate joined the Student Judiciary Board as an associate justice. She served on conduct panels, hearing cases of non-academic violations of the Code of Student Conduct. She said it is fulfilling to connect these students with resources on campus, because at the end of the day, she wants to see her peers succeed.
“I really feel like anytime someone’s held responsible, they get sanctions that are supposed to help put them on the right track. We work on educational programming on the front end to make sure that students are aware of things that may sort of derail their track at UA, she explained. “I think that was something that was really fulfilling, and a part that I didn’t initially expect from the Student Judiciary was getting to be involved in a capacity that I felt like I was really helping people.”
Cate believes that the board’s peer-to-peer model creates a unique environment for students.
“The opportunity to go in front of people who are your age, people who have been in situations like you, I think that is something that hopefully is comforting for students coming in,” she said.
After three years of service as an associate justice, Cate was elected chief justice. While she no longer serves on these panels, she works behind the scenes planning schedules, guiding new members and maintaining the organization’s mission of supporting others. Cate said this is important to her, as the community she has found on the Student Judiciary Board has shaped her UA experience.
“The Student Judiciary means a lot to me. I would say it is, if I look back on college, one of my most defining things of my college experience because it is a great group of people that we get to work with who are all passionate about helping the student body,” she said.
Mentorship has heavily contributed to Cate’s journey. The professional staff in the Student Conduct office show these students a great amount of support and advice for handling complex situations, allowing students like Cate to develop skills that will benefit her for the rest of her life
“Being a part of the Student Judiciary has helped me grow professionally with emotional intelligence,” she said. “I think that those are people skills that will help me go far in life, hopefully, just because it’s a very unique situation to have to interact with. And beforehand, I probably would not be the best person at calming down other people, but I think that I feel more equipped to handle different emotional situations of people now.”
Aside from a personal impact, Cate hopes that students she has worked with remember her as someone who was intentional about helping others – whether it is educating them on the Code of Student Conduct or helping them discover resources on campus that could make a difference in their collegiate experience.
“I think that would be the ultimate goal of my time on campus, just making the student experience better and safer,” she said.
For students considering joining the Student Judiciary, Cate offered advice grounded in her experience.
“Know that it’s a great group of people. We’re part of SGA, but we also get to work with Student Conduct, which is something that’s super unique, and it’s a group of people that will be with you throughout your college experience,” she said. “All of my friends in the Student Judiciary, I’ve kept from year one to now, and I think that’s something that is a great group to be involved in on campus.”