Brand Identity

Donor header

Vera Machado Martinez

Vera’s story is one of MOBILITY. As an alumna and donor, her story showcases the opportunity a scholar at UCR has to become a champion in their own story of historical firsts, and then sow seeds for future generations to do the same. 

Sound Bites

Headline

  1. Opening doors for next gen education leaders

Hooks

  • A first gen UCR grad and single mom pioneered an exceptional career of firsts and is helping young Latina women do the same.
     
  • Dr. Machado Martinez, a UCR alumna and the first Latina president of Fullerton College, set a powerful example of mobility in Inland Southern California.
     
  • Paving a path of opportunity for young Latina education scholars, Dr. Machado Martinez’s endowed scholarship hopes to empower future educational leaders.

Quotes

  • "[During my career] I never felt like I was an insider, everything was a new venture, I was like a pioneer, none of my family had gone to college... It is my hope that this scholarship will empower future educational leaders to become effective change agents who can successfully respond to the ever-changing student and societal needs for success.”  - Dr. Vera Machado Martinez

Narrative

A first-generation college graduate from Colton, CA, Dr. Vera Machado Martinez earned a Master of Arts in 1971 at CHASS and her doctorate in 1979 from SOE. She was a single mother while pursuing her doctorate and went on to have an incredible career as a higher education administrator, including serving as the first Latina President of Fullerton College.

In recognition of her life and career as a trailblazer and educator, Martinez established the Dr. Vera Machado Martinez Endowed Graduate Scholarship Fund. She hopes the scholarship will support Latina students from the Inland Empire, especially students from Colton, Riverside, and San Bernardino, who seek to become administrators and education leaders.

At UC Riverside, access isn’t enough. Great care is taken to ensure all students receive exceptional opportunities while on campus. Because of Dr. Vera Machado Martinez, generations of education scholars to come will have support on their path. She truly is bold and brilliant.

Strategy

As Vera was a first-generation student who pioneered an exceptional career of firsts, including becoming a UC Riverside donor, her story is fantastic to use for showcasing the upward mobility possible at UCR.

Her story and quotes are best used in:

  • Brochures
  • Proposals
  • Appeals – print, email, and digital
  • Conversations

Suggested uses:

  • When building relationships with alumni who have the capacity to give, share Vera’s story as an example of ways alumni can engage.
     
  • When discussing the lifetime impact of an education at UCR, and a donor’s capacity to create generational change, share Vera’s story.
     
  • When showcasing how a gift to UCR goes further than it might at another university, share Vera’s story

Resources

  1. Article: https://education.ucr.edu/news/2022/06/06/soe-donors-and-alumni-create-five-new-endowed-scholarships-support-student-success 
  2. Photos

Usage Examples

Proposal

 
 

Speaking Points

  1. Can be used in presentations or 1:1 conversations
  2. UCR is America’s most transformative university.
  3. Given access and the right support, today’s scholars will go on to create a ripple effect of change in local communities and beyond.
  4. Dr. Vera Machado Martinez never thought getting a doctorate was an opportunity available to her.
  5. She went on to become the first Latina president of Fullerton College, and the chancellor of the North Orange County Community College District.
  6. She then desired to give back, and seed opportunity for future generations with an endowed scholarship at UC Riverside.
  7. At UC Riverside, access isn’t enough. Great care is taken to ensure that all students are provided with exceptional opportunities while they are on campus.  
  8. Dr. Vera Machado Martinez and her brilliant accomplishments remind us of the power that lives in a single seed of encouragement. In the hands of a bold-hearted scholar like Machado Martinez, that seed will often grow into a powerful force of mobility and opportunity for generations to come. 
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