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Talent
Transplant
Dr. Mirta Martin
Martin with her husband, John, at her first commencement ceremony.
Photo by Jared Tadlock/Fairmont State University.
OLIVIA MILLER
In celebration of those who have adopted our Mountain Mama as their own,
“Talent Transplant” recognizes the Mountaineers who were born elsewhere but
relocated here, embraced our beloved state and now help us work toward
a brighter future.
believed an American education was the
path forward. It was she who instilled
in Martin the values of education, faith
and resilience, which propelled Martin
to eventually establish herself in one
of the most prestigious roles in higher
education: university president.
Obtaining an Education
Martin and her sister, Carmen, with their
parents and grandparents in Havana, Cuba.
It was a long, complex and at times
risky journey that brought Dr. Mirta
Martin to West Virginia in January 2018
to serve as president of Fairmont State
University. Born in Havana, Cuba, during
the communist regime led by Fidel Castro,
Martin was 6 years old when she, her
grandmother and her sister were given
permission by the Cuban government to
go to Spain. The move separated them
from the rest of their family for decades.
On a leap of faith, the trio migrat-
ed to the U.S. when Martin was about
13 years old. Martin’s grandmother
22
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
“When we arrived in the United States,
like many other immigrants and fami-
lies in America today, my grandmother
worked two full-time jobs, and my sister
and I went to school full time and worked
a full-time job,” says Martin.
Money made from cleaning houses put
food on their table, but it wasn’t always
enough. “I remember going hungry,” she
says. “Not because we weren’t working
but because life happened and we had to
direct funds to other things.”
For Martin, the idea of going to college
seemed insurmountable. “If you can’t
put enough food on your table, how are
you going to afford college?” she says.
It was a teacher by the name of Seena
Rosenberg who helped her navigate the
application process when she decided to
apply to Duke University. Determined to
see Martin go to college, Rosenberg even
wrote the check needed to submit the
application. Martin would go on to earn
bachelor’s degrees in psychology and
political science from Duke, a master’s
degree in business administration from
the University of Richmond and a Ph.D.
in management and leadership from
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Education has the power to transform
lives, and for Martin and her family, it
undeniably did. Being the oldest sibling
and the first to attend college, Martin’s
success with her studies allowed her
younger siblings to attend college as well.
As a result, all of her and her siblings’
13 children have earned college degrees,
including her daughter, Katherine, who
earned a Ph.D., and her son, Patrick, who
received a master’s degree.
Pursuing a Passion
Although Martin began her career in
the banking industry, where she quickly
rose through the ranks, she chose to leave
and pursue her passion for academia.
“This was a wonderful move because it
allowed me to have a foot in the banking
industry while keeping the other foot in
academia, which is a part of my DNA,”
she says.