Bishop Kelly High School business and economics instructor Marta Watson is retiring at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. She began her role in the fall of 2001 and began teaching courses for Boise State’s Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) in the spring of 2002.
“I think we’re put on this Earth to do good and to make a difference, and Bishop Kelly and dual credit have allowed me to do that on a professional level,” Watson said.
Watson is more than familiar with Boise State. She received her bachelor’s degree in history and economics in 1980, her MBA in 1984 and her Master of Arts in Education, Curriculum and Instruction in 2000.
While earning her MBA, she was a staff member for The Women’s Center, a resource center for Boise State students, staff and faculty that later became the Gender Equity Center. There she met former admissions staff member and current Concurrent Enrollment Director Fabiola Juarez-Coca.
Their relationship continued as they moved to the Concurrent Enrollment Program. With a need for economics courses, the Boise State Department of Economics appointed Watson as the Bishop Kelly instructor. Since then, she’s taught 24 years worth of concurrent enrollment courses, most notably Business for the New Generation (BUS 101), Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 201) and Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 202).
“Her success as an adjunct instructor helped academic departments see that university curriculum could be implemented successfully in the high school setting, helping students earn both high school and university credits,” Juarez-Coca said. “Watson’s continued professionalism in the academic setting allowed her to also get approved to teach BUS 101, the introductory course for business majors. She continuously creates opportunities for her students that teach life lessons by participating in and often winning the International Economics Summit.”
The International Economics Summit invites high school student teams to represent a country and act as economic advisors. Watson has also been involved with Bishop Kelly’s academic decathlon, ski and entrepreneur teams. On April 15, two teams of Bishop Kelly students competed against fellow Idaho high schools in the annual High School Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge at the Albertsons Library.
“Tipsy Tabs” claimed first place, making it three straight years that a Bishop Kelly team has won the competition and $1,000 prize. The other team, “Forc a,” took third place and the $250 prize.
But above all, she’s helped an innumerable amount of high school students get a head start on their college career through concurrent enrollment.
“The opportunity to have a college class while they still have the structure and support of a high school class is huge,” Watson said. “I think it really does teach them the ability to become self motivating and self organized and self disciplined. I’ve been trying to help my students learn how to do that college-level thinking now so by the time they get to college I want their biggest issues to be figuring out where the bathrooms in those buildings are and where they’re going to study.
“Overtime, there’s quite a few that have gotten econ degrees and there’s a few econ teachers that are floating around in the world these days. They started in my room, which tickles me to know that I’ve had a little bit of an impact. It’s like dropping a pebble into a pond and just the ripple effect. It’s pretty exciting.”
Watson is still deciding on her retirement plans. But with her long standing relationship to Boise State and the Concurrent Enrollment Program, she hopes to continue making an impact on higher education.
“Boise State has been a big part of my life,” Watson said. “The support, openness and kindness with which Boise State interacts with teachers and kids and the welcoming nature of those conversations, it’s always been a godsend. It’s been such a pleasure.”
Learn more about the Concurrent Enrollment Program’s participating high schools, courses and partners.