2020 West Virginia Wonder Woman Mirta Martin

The mothers, the millennials, and the mavens. Changing our communities.

This is our seventh annual unveiling of 50 amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. Meet this West Virginia Wonder Woman, Mirta Martin, and many more that are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.

Opening Doors With Love

Fairmont State University President Mirta Martin is devoted to opening doors for her Falcon family. She left Cuba as a young girl and immigrated to Spain, where she lived in a convent with her grandmother and sister.

Several years later she immigrated again, this time to the U.S. “A journey like that is one that is not forgotten,” she says. “I will never forget my roots, nor where I came from, because the challenges of the journey have given me strength.” Her grandmother took a leap of faith to give her a better life—to open a door for a better future. “I feel very strongly it is now my turn to be the voice for those who do not have one, to open doors that lead to making someone’s dream a reality.”

“As I look back through the footprints in the sand, there are moments that have made a difference in my life. It is now my turn to pass it forward and to spend the rest of my life trying to improve the human condition. That mission is what brought me here to Fairmont State,” Martin says. “I ask God to put love in the hearts of humanity, because as we know, three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.”

Click here to read about our other 2020 West Virginia Wonder Women