Familiar Faces: Derrick Martin
Martin, who works in the Caf, seeks to inspire & lead in the small things.
Editor’s note: Thank you for reading the first article of Familiar Faces, Blue & Gold’s newest series of profiles of the often-unsung heroes & staple community members of Mississippi College — our staff. We’d love to hear from you which staff members we should feature next!
Derrick Martin of Clinton is likely a familiar face to most students on Mississippi College’s campus. As a staff member of the cafeteria, he has greeted students with a smile for 34 years. Martin uses his position as an opportunity to inspire and lead others.
“[My siblings and I] were raised like that,” Martin said. “My parents always told me to be nice to people and be kind to people.”
Martin grew up here in Clinton, and he graduated from Clinton High School in 1991. Before he began working at MC, his first job was in a food truck. However, he was no stranger to the campus.
“We always came when we were kids,” Martin said. “We’d come up here to the football games and the basketball games.”
Over his time at MC, Martin has worked hard and has become a respected part of the MC staff. From washing dishes to cleaning tables, Martin has held a number of different jobs within the cafeteria and is one of their most relied-upon employees. In 2022, he was nominated for the MVP award by a student.
He has enjoyed working with Mississippi College, especially enjoying the fellowship that he has experienced as a part of staff. In fact, many of the staff he works with lived in his neighborhood growing up.
Martin’s love for his coworkers is evident. He says fellow staff member Steve Johnson has been a particular blessing to him, helping him with late nights washing dishes and cleaning up. “I thank God for Steve because he stuck with me,” Martin said. “I couldn’t find anyone else to do it. I thank him for sticking by me.”
Martin recalls the many people throughout his life and childhood who encouraged him. He wants to carry that legacy on. Martin asks students how they are doing with their classes and prays for them. He tries to be a mentor to others. One of his favorite parts about working at MC is being a leader to the faculty and students.
“That’s what life’s all about – being together,” Martin said.
Martin’s leadership extends past campus. He enjoys being a mentor for the kids in his neighborhood. He plays basketball and football with them in his freetime.
“A lot of kids don’t have leadership in their life,” he said. “We’ve got to be strong for them.”
All of the staff and students have impacted his life while working on campus. Whenever he is asked about retirement, Martin explains that he is not ready to stop being a leader. But, working at MC, Martin meets people from all over the world. He would love to travel one day, especially to Hawaii.
Seeing students go to MC to create a career motivates him to achieve more in his life. He takes pride in seeing students graduate, knowing that the past four years have been difficult. It is a blessing for him to pray with students and to talk to them.
“I just like being with the students because I know that college is more difficult than high school,” Martin said. “I pray for them because people pray for me.”
“I’ve been through trials and tribulations, but I thank God that I’ve come out of it and realized that my life is important to someone else too,” Martin said. “I keep going and keep striving and there’s someone watching me striving.”
Many kids in Martin’s neighborhood look up to him, as do many students on MC’s campus. Martin is grateful that God brought him to MC and has allowed him to use his platform to lead and inspire others.