President of Fort Hays State University Dr. Mirta Martin was the featured speaker at the Diversity Breakfast at the Clarion Inn on October 6th in Garden City, Kansas. The event celebrated a number of cultures, but Dr. Martin specifically talked about Cuba as that is where she and her family are originally from before they immigrated to the United States in the 1960s. During her speech, Martin discussed some of the difficulties that she faced while living in her country of origin and how challenging it was to settle in the USA. However, she remarked that she was given a chance to better herself and her life and that she is now going to pay it forward by believing in others. The Cuban native and her family arrived in the United States with no specific plan, but with just the clothes that they had on their backs. She faced many challenges with getting an education in her new home, but she managed to do so and earn her college degree from Duke University while working a full-time job. In May 2014, Martin proudly became the ninth president of FHSU as well as the first female president in the school’s history, as well as the first Hispanic to be a Kansas college president. Dr. Martin gave a wonderful talk earlier this month in Garden City, Kansas that promoted the well-being and forward thinking of students of all backgrounds and cultures. It was an extremely inspiring experience and one that the audience will remember forever.