On Tuesday, the United Independent School District welcomed former news anchor and pundit Lorena Martinez and educator and former board-certified journalist Sonya L. Sanchez as new communications experts.
For more than 14 years, Martinez has excelled in media from Laredo to the Rio Grande Valley. He has worked as a news anchor, producer and weather reporter for various networks including Telemundo, KGNS, Fox and Univision. He also hosts Levantate Laredo's local morning radio show on Guerra Communications and is director of the Webb County Precinct 4 Community Center.
Martinez is a familiar face at UISD having worked as a substitute teacher for several years. She has extensive experience working with students in the classroom and looks forward to highlighting her activities and achievements in her new role. Martinez has a BA in Communications from Texas A&M International University.
He is also a Court Appointed Special Counsel (CASA) at Voz de Niños, where he oversees child abandonment cases and helps children find permanent homes. Lorena is also a certified Spinning Instructor and in her spare time enjoys teaching, traveling and cooking with her husband and husband.
“I love being part of the communications team and working with the district to update the media and our community about all the great things that are happening at the different UISD schools. This is a great opportunity to return to the field that helped me succeed in my early childhood.
Sanchez joined the team after teaching audio-video production at a LISD school for 13 years. Previously he was also Marketing Director of Sames Auto Arena.
Sanchez has had a long career in the communications industry, beginning as a reporter for a local television station and as a public information officer for the city of Laredo. Sanchez left Laredo to work as an assistant press secretary for three attorneys general, first in Austin and then in New York, where he also did public relations work. He then moved to Washington, DC, where he worked as a policy officer for the President of the United States and advocated for No Child Left Behind at the Department of Education.
Sanchez, a journalism, technology and Apple teacher, won the Chamber of Commerce's 2021 Bell Award and was one of the first tech-savvy teachers to be recognized at LISD. It has sponsored the award-winning Cigarroa Film Club for almost 10 years and its students are UIL State Champion in the Documentary Department.
She studied journalism at the University of Texas at the Austin College of Communication. As a student, she earned an Associate of Arts degree from Laredo College and was also crowned Miss Laredo in 1985. Sanchez is an animal rights activist and has volunteered with the non-profit organization Gateway Gatos. In his free time, Sanchez enjoys going to the movies and drinking hot lattes.
"I am excited to join this team of experienced communications professionals, many of whom I have come to know and appreciate over the years," said Sanchez. "I look forward to visiting all departments and schools of UISD and working with the media on both sides of the border." You can contact her at sonya.sanchez@uisd.net.