UNC Trustee 安妮特•马丁内斯 ’86 honors her parents’ belief in education by supporting future teachers through the Cumbres program and scholarships
安妮特•马丁内斯’s parents, Leo and Gregoria Romero, may 不 have had the opportunity to go to college, but they deeply believed in the importance of education.
“My mother did go back and get her high school GED,” Martinez 说. “是我父亲做的。 不. 他是一个企业主. He was on a school board for 13 years and when he was 80, I asked him, ‘Do you have any regrets in life?’ He said, ‘My only regret was I didn’t get to finish school.’ And so that’s the kind of environment I was raised in, knowing that education was so important.”
It’s a value that remains with her, and one that she supports with her time and through 赠送给UNC的礼物. Martinez earned her Bachelor of 艺术 in Biology from UNC in 1986 and is a senior vice president at State Farm Insurance Companies, where she has worked 自1988年以来. She was appointed to the University’s Board of Trustees by Governor Jared 2021年末的波利斯.
Born and raised in LaSalle, Colo., Martinez 说 UNC’s location, size, quality and affordability all contributed to her decision to become a Bear. “大学总是 the plan for me, and of course, having a great university right here in our backyard that was also affordable was really just a great option for me,” she 说.
With Greeley so close to home, Martinez was able to transition to college without getting lost in the crowds of a larger university, and she was able to stay connected 给她所在的社区.
“The truth is, I didn’t see many people that looked like me, and I knew people that came to UNC who looked like me but ended up staying a year or so, then leaving,” she 记得. “I had the security and support to go home every day to my family and that made it extra special for me.”
Recognizing the importance of community and the sense of belonging students need to succeed, Martinez generously supports UNC’s Cumbres program, housed in UNC’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Cumbres is a scholarship and support program that prepares educators skilled in culturally and linguistically diverse practices to serve as effective and compassionate teachers of English learners.
“Growing up and going to school, there weren’t teachers who looked like me,” Martinez 说. “When I think about what Cumbres is doing... It is 不 only bringing together a group for support, a group of people who have an interest in doing such important work, it’s also changing the next generation through education by being a teacher.”
“I love the fact that Cumbres supports this group to continue moving forward because we have such a gap in our educational system for people of color. 这是一种方式 that I could be a part of something that was going to really make that difference.”
Martinez also makes a difference for Cumbres students through the Leo and Gregoria Romero Scholarship, named for her parents. This scholarship provides support to first-generation college students enrolled in the Cumbres program.
“(My parents) made many sacrifices for me, 不 only to attend school, but to be able 完成我的学业. All four of us were able to attend college; that was a huge 为父母牺牲.”
As Martinez thought about how she could honor them, she knew that it had to reflect their belief in education, and that she wanted to help students who might 不 otherwise be able to afford college.
“Look at the faces of people you’re making a difference for. (在做选择的时候 about giving) I always say, ‘What are the things that matter to me, and what are the things that I know matter to other people,’” she 说. “I just feel like higher education should be open for everyone.”
Understanding the importance of education, community and access have helped guide her philanthropic choices over the years. And, though her parents may 不 have gone to college, the lives of generations of students have been touched through the values and beliefs they passed on to their daughter.
——黛比·皮特纳·摩尔
