Insights from Luca Martinez

By Brie Goodly ’25

As part of the esteemed Crawford Gordon ’56 Speaker Series, Ridley had the honour of welcoming Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and conservationist Luca Martinez to the Mandeville Theatre stage. At only 20 years old, Luca has already made a significant impact within his community and the world. Whether he’s sharing his film work with millions of online viewers or getting the attention of his state’s governor, he has shown much determination towards sharing his work and activism to a wide audience.

Before he shared his insight and expertise during his speech to the greater Ridley community, I had the pleasure of conducting an informative and personal interview with Luca Martinez while representing the Gordon Crawford ’56 Speaker Series Student Committee. This interview allowed for greater discussion regarding Martinez’s accomplishments, and it gave us the amazing opportunity to learn more about his goals, passions and sources of inspiration.

We started the interview with a discussion about what first sparked his passion for conservation. Luca immediately told a story about growing up in Miami and childhood adventures with his grandfather diving off the coast of Key Largo.

“One reef in particular, Pickles Reef off Key Largo, was our go-to. After a couple of years where we didn’t go out as much, we returned to Pickles Reef,” he said. “I remember thinking we had the wrong coordinates because the reef was gone. It was flattened, white and lifeless. The fish, the sharks, the lobsters — everything had disappeared. That moment hit me hard.”

Luca made it clear that that’s the moment everything changed for him.

“I had a GoPro, and I loved filming underwater. I decided to use it to memorialize the beauty that was left. That was the beginning of my journey,” he said.

In this interview, Luca emphasized the value of passion and offered a unique form of advice to Ridley students. He mentioned that great passion can be formed from experiences filled with ‘awe’ and that these authentic passions can lead to great impacts — in his case, it’s filmmaking and nature, but he emphasized that it can be anything: sports, arts, theatre — so long as you feel connected to it.

“If a young person doesn’t feel connected to a story, then it’s not meaningful. You have to feel something. Finding the passion and confidence in it, that’s what truly matters.”

Luca Martinez did an effective job of inspiring both Ridley students and the greater Ridley community alike, showing us how feelings of ‘awe’ can influence impactful actions. We are so incredibly thankful for his time at Ridley, and we hope that the Ridley community felt inspired and rejuvenated from his efforts.