Martina Ballen On Being A Trailblazer And Seeing The Possibilities

Posted Feb 12, 2026
"I'm Martina Ballen. And I am a Tar Heel." It's how she introduces herself — plainly, confidently, without flourish. For Ballen, that identity has never needed explanation. UNC has been home for most of her life, and the work she has done here has always felt less like a career and more like a responsibility. "I have been at UNC for 38-and-a-half years." (GoHeels.com)

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