Larnzell Martin ’72 doesn’t remember where the letter came from. He definitely remembers ripping it up, though.
A Dallas native, Martin took advantage of college prep classes at nearby Southern Methodist University through the Upward Bound program. After an admissions rep from Carleton visited his high school, Martin fell in love with the idea of pursuing liberal arts education in Northfield. But a letter from an Upward Bound-affiliated organization that matched students with colleges by recommended fit didn’t think Carleton should be his top choice.
“They were trying to hurt me,” Martin says, laughing.
“Nah, they probably were very objective in suggesting to me that Carleton had standards that I might not be able to satisfy or achieve. It was just a tool available through Upward Bound to assist students as they navigated getting to college. Maybe it was supposed to motivate me. But I already had the motivation to get to Carleton.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Martin majored in sociology and anthropology at Carleton, went to law school at Georgetown, and became a judge for the seventh circuit court of Maryland—a position he retired from last year. Now a senior judge, Martin looks back on those important first steps—getting to college with the help of others—as the real difference maker in his accomplished career.
“My family could not have afforded Carleton or any private school. But Carleton made sure it wasn’t an issue,” Martin says. “Thanks to direct outreach, grants earmarked for minority students, and work-study, I left Carleton with $300 in debt. My parents didn’t have to do anything other than send some money so I could get home when I needed to.”
Martin, who joined Carleton’s Board of Trustees this year, also gives credit to the “models” in his life—his parents, extended family, and high school counselors and teachers who believed in him. But Martin knows that a personal support system isn’t always enough.
“To have to think about, ‘How am I going to finance my education?’—that’s real. We all have a role in how that conversation develops at Carleton, whether through direct financial assistance or helping students identify which college resources to tap into,” Martin says.
“Being at Carleton positioned me to find my place in the world. That’s why it’s so important for kids who want to be in college, at Carleton, to get those four years so they can receive information, apply information, and take advantage of so many great opportunities.”