Ashlee, Danielle & Arin Martin
It’s that time of year when students get ready to head back to school. For twins Ashlee and Arin Martin, that means the start of a big new adventure.
Soon enough, the sisters will be off to Temple University in Philadelphia for their first year of college. While there’s always a little bit of nervousness that accompanies a significant life change, Ashlee and Arin, of Lower Paxton Township, are excited for their next chapter.
Their acceptance to Temple was even more significant, as their mother Danielle Martin just received her doctorate degree from the school in May.
Education has always been a major part of Danielle’s life, and she raised her daughters to understand its importance, as well. As she has now reached a level of scholarship that she never would’ve imagined for herself as a young girl, she has all the confidence that her girls will find success, as well.
But in one fell swoop, both of her girls, whom she has raised as a single mom, will be out of the house, and she knows that won’t be easy.
“It’s always just been us, our little club,” she said. “I’m so proud of them and so excited for them for this next chapter. But also, everybody’s leaving. It’s bittersweet.”
It’s the end of an era for the Martin family as Danielle finished her doctorate degree in step with Ashlee and Arin’s graduation from Central Dauphin High School. And after 18 years, the sisters will move out of their house and onto campus.
But it’s also the beginning of a new era, when the twins will get to explore their love for art and music at a higher level and when Danielle will use her degree in her career as an academic success coordinator at Temple’s Harrisburg campus.
“I’m grateful,” Danielle said. “My path was not a straight path. And I need people to understand that too, success is not a straight path.”
Crazy, in a Good Way
Danielle, a Harrisburg native, was the first in her family to attend college. Even so, there was always an “unofficial expectation” from her parents that she would pursue higher education.
She decided to follow her passion for teaching and graduated from Millersville University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Soon after, she landed a job teaching first grade in the Harrisburg School District and later received her master’s degree.
During her time as a teacher with the district, Danielle gave birth to her twins and suddenly her life revolved around little people, at work and at home.
“I had an amazing village,” she said. “But also, there is such a thing as prayer. It was not easy.”
Danielle’s career shifted into the higher education realm when she took a job assisting students from underrepresented communities in accessing college and, later, a position as an admissions counselor at HACC.
When HACC offered her the opportunity to pursue a doctorate of education, she had her doubts about whether she could do it.
“I wasn’t sure how I would be able to manage that,” Danielle said. “How was I still going to be actively engaged in parenthood, on top of going to school, on top of what it was going to cost me as a single mom?”
She was scared that she wouldn’t be able to make it work, so she declined.
When she was later offered her position at Temple, the school told her about its tuition remission program, and this time, Danielle took the chance.
While their mom was going back to school, Ashlee and Arin were entering high school and life was busy.
“We were in school together, which was crazy, but in a good way,” Danielle said.
Always There
After the many years at home of Danielle teaching the girls to write cursive, giving them educational games, and helping them learn how to read at a young age, Ashlee and Arin were more than prepared for high school.
“Every second I had, I wanted to make sure they were learning,” she said.
At Central Dauphin, the girls participated in almost every band, ensemble and drumline offered while also getting good grades.
At home, Danielle balanced helping the girls with homework with her own studies.
“She took a lot of pride in us and what we did and always pushed us to go harder,” Arin said. “Because of that, I literally am where I am. She was always there.”
For Danielle, that validated all of the hard work and investments she made in her family, even through the challenges.
“As a single parent, you’re just trying to do the best that you can, and you’re praying that the best you are giving is what they need,” Danielle said. “It does my heart good to know that they appreciated that.”
Now that Ashlee and Arin are headed off to college, they may be leaving home, but the twins will still be side by side as roommates. If their history isn’t enough to predict that they’ll be good living partners, they also received a 99% match on the university’s roommate finder program.
“She’s the only one that can tolerate me,” Arin said.
Both sisters will study art, a lifelong passion for each. They both have many years’ worth of sketchpads filled with drawings. At Temple, they look forward to finding their own unique style and expressing themselves.
“Art is a part of me and a coping mechanism for me,” Ashlee said.
As they continue their education, Ashlee and Arin are grateful for the role model that their mom has been for them and how she led by example.
On the flip side, everything Danielle has done has been for her girls, she explained. They’re what has motivated her.
“They are what keeps me going,” she said. “They are why and how I finished my doctorate program. They are what got me through.”
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