Joseph Martinez is a counselor, recovery advocate, and Stautzenberger graduate who went back to school at 40 to claim a future he once thought had passed him by. Raised in Cleveland by a single mother, Joe spent more than a decade caught in addiction, with years marked by loss and isolation, In 2021, he entered treatment and got clarity over what his life could be.
Joe began volunteering at the same inpatient facility where he received care, then moved into peer support and leadership roles, helping others navigate the path he knew firsthand. When a mentor challenged him to see his lived experience not as a liability but as a strength, Joe took another leap: enrolling in Stautzenberger College’s Addiction and Social Advocacy associate program, drawn to its accelerated format, online flexibility, and hands-on, real-world approach.
Joe started classes within days of his first conversation with admissions. While working 60–70 hours a week in inpatient treatment, he completed the program online, graduated in April 2025 with a 4.0 GPA, and was selected as the student commencement speaker. The degree opened doors immediately: licensure eligibility, a counseling role in outpatient care, supervisory pathways, and full credit transfer into a bachelor’s program, placing Joe directly into his junior year. What came next, Joe says, started with one simple decision: to challenge himself and take the first step.
“I wanted to challenge myself. I had dreams and ambitions when I was younger, and during addiction, those dreams kind of faded, but they never really left. Going back to school was me asking myself, are you capable of this? I wanted to give it my all. And once I started, I knew I didn’t want to stop.
Rob Garver in career services made a huge difference for me. He didn’t just talk to me academically. I could call him about personal things in my life. He listened, and he took time for me when it had nothing to do with school, and that really meant a lot.
When someone believes in you, it raises your belief in yourself. Stautzenberger wasn’t just a stepping stone. It accelerated my career, my education, and my confidence, and I didn’t even realize that at the time.
I’m now working as a counselor in outpatient care, which was my goal from the beginning. Inpatient is stabilization. Outpatient is where the foundation is built. With this degree, I can test for higher licensure, move into supervisory roles, and keep going. At forty, I’m living my best life now. And it all started with taking that first step.”