Nathalie (left), Amaya (center) and Nicole (right) celebrating the twins’ graduation in May 2024 (Photo submitted by subjects)
The Carolina Covenant turns three sisters’ dreams into reality.
By Simon Reeve-Parker
A graduation ceremony can be a time for strong and sometimes mixed emotions: certainly joy and pride, but perhaps also trepidation about what’s to come.
The 2024 ceremony celebrating UNC-Chapel Hill’s graduates — held on May 11 in Kenan Stadium — was no different for the Martinez sisters. For twins Nathalie and Nicole Martinez ’24, photos from the day capture their infectious smiles and sheer joy at their achievements.
And for Amaya Martinez Mesa ’17, it was an opportunity both to celebrate her younger sisters’ accomplishments and to reflect on her own graduation day some seven years earlier.
But for all three there was something else: an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the support they received from the Carolina Covenant and the many ways it helped them reach their goals.
“I wish that every student could make the choice of going to college with the type of support we had,” said Amaya, who is now in her third rotation working toward an MD in the UNC School of Medicine.
In its 20 years, the Carolina Covenant has given many thousands of outstanding low-income students the opportunity to graduate without the burden of debt through a combination of grants, scholarships and work-study. But as valuable as the financial assistance is, it was the thoughtful mentoring, practical advice and family-like atmosphere the program provided that really struck all of the Martinez sisters.
“I don’t think I would have made it through that first semester if it hadn’t been for [then-director] Brian Hogan and the resources he connected me to,” said Amaya.
Generational impact
The Martinezes’ story begins in Havana, Cuba, where Amaya was born and lived her early years in a multi-generational household. When her father emigrated to the United States, she was raised by her grandparents, a time she remembers mostly with fondness and gratitude.
In the years to come, her father, stepmother and her new siblings, the twins, came back to Havana several times — trips that produced great memories of time playing at the beach and visiting local parks. When Amaya was 12, and after much preparation, she was able to emigrate with her grandparents and join the rest of her family in Miami.
Moving to Chapel Hill was a huge transition for each of the sisters; Nicole in particular noted the town’s tranquility in comparison to the bustle of the Miami metro. All three had begun their academic careers at Miami-Dade College before transferring to Carolina.
Amaya is working toward her medical degree at Carolina. (Photo submitted by subject.)
As the trailblazer, Amaya was able to provide inspiration and support to her sisters as they made the move north and left their comfort zones in South Florida. In fact, it was a visit from the twins to Chapel Hill the previous year that Amaya credits with planting a seed. “We went hiking,” she said, “and we explored the campus. We had a great visit. That was the first time I thought maybe they would apply.”
The Carolina Covenant helped ease that transition in more ways than the Martinezes could ever have imagined.
The financial support was crucial. “I remember looking at the award letter with my mom and realizing that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Nicole. Nathalie added, “Without the Carolina Covenant, I may have stayed in Florida and lived at home for financial reasons. I applied to other schools, but none of them provided this level of financial assistance.”
Going beyond financial support
What the Martinezes didn’t expect was everything else the Covenant had to offer.
With both Nathalie and Nicole majoring in psychology and hoping to follow in Amaya’s footsteps to medical school, they were at once overjoyed and conflicted when an opportunity arose to volunteer in medical clinics in Bolivia. It seemed like the trip of a lifetime, but how could they afford to go?
Thanks to the combined efforts of leaders in the Carolina Covenant and the Office of Global Health Education — the project’s organizing program — Nicole and Nathalie were able to participate at no cost to themselves. As a result, they gained an amazing cross-cultural experience with direct application to their future academic goals.
“It was a gift,” said Nathalie.
She and Nicole were assigned to different cities — a big deal for the close knit pair — and had the chance to shadow doctors in a range of specialities, providing invaluable exposure to the medical field. “It was an amazing opportunity to investigate patient care in a healthcare system that differs greatly from that in the United States,” said Nicole.
With graduation now in the rearview mirror, Nathalie and Nicole are busy studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and preparing for medical school. They would love to join Amaya and stay at Carolina, but they will apply widely and are open to going to another school.
Thanks to the Carolina Covenant, they graduated without student debt. “Medical school is expensive,” said Nicole. “We would never have considered it if we already had debt from our undergraduate degrees.”
Twins Nathalie (left) and Nicole at the Old Well (Photo submitted by subjects)
Going beyond graduation
Even though Nathalie and Nicole have transitioned from students to alumnae, the Carolina Covenant still has much to offer. For instance, their sister Amaya is one of eight former students who serve on the Alumni Advisory Board for the program. The Alumni Advisory Board aims to help current and former Covenant Scholars share experience, networks and opportunities for career and post-undergraduate success. As part of her leadership on the board, Amaya started a highly attended medical-student-led seminar to help prepare other Covenant Scholars to successfully apply to medical school.
Amaya is pleased to serve in this capacity, considering it a way to give back to a program that helped her, and continues to do so. In her time as a student and as an advisory board member, Amaya appreciated the personal care and support of the Covenant’s program staff. “They genuinely care about your well-being,” said Amaya, recalling how the staff continue to check on how she is doing while in medical school.
Having lived in the Triangle for eight years now, Amaya feels right at home. All the more so as her grandparents — the ones who raised her — recently moved into her Durham apartment.
“It’s great to have a multi-generational household again,” she said, before adding with a laugh, “and I get some amazing Cuban food now that my grandma is here!”
Roberto Martinez, the sisters’ father, couldn’t have been prouder after attending his second Carolina commencement ceremony: “I feel a sense of pride and satisfaction in my three daughters’ academic achievements.”
He added, “Carolina Covenant is the reason this was even a reality in the first place.”
With their Carolina educations and the ongoing support of the Carolina Covenant, the future is bright for the Martinez sisters. Roberto shared his wishes for them. “I hope that my daughters’ legacies are the love and kindness they leave in others. As future physicians, this is extremely important. Hard work and dedication combined with passion takes you very far in life.”
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