Meet Marco Garcia

Whitworth Cadre Four
'10 Political Studies Major
Clover Park High School '06

Hearing voices

As a freshman at Whitworth, Marco Garcia was immediately drawn to the strong voices of Act Six students advocating for change on campus. "Some of the biggest advocates against discrimination and injustice are Act Six students," Marco said admiringly of his peers. Many Act Six students hold leadership positions on campus, while others spend much of their time talking to people and working to make them more aware of issues, he explains. No stranger to activism, Marco has been encouraged by his peers and excited to join them in their efforts, but "I've been trying to find my place and see how things work first," he says.

Knowing his role

Seeing how things work is one of Marco's greatest strengths. Responding to those who are broken with an uplifting alternative is what truly sets him apart. This gift has enabled Marco not only to escape, but also to respond to gang violence, high dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, and broken families in his community in Tacoma, Washington. "My role [in my community] was to promote self-respect, self-love," he said. During his senior year in high school, he and a group of friends created a Latino Club at Clover Park High School to do just that. The club was geared toward, "providing opportunities for [Latino] students to prepare for college, become more politically active, and preserve their rich culture and history," Marco says.

Seeing a need

After playing such a dynamic role in his community at home, Marco came to Whitworth eager to continue his activism. After only taking a few classes at Whitworth, he began to see a need for diversity in the curriculum and became excited about the possibility of creating an ethnic studies minor, "so [that] people are knowledgeable about different cultures and can learn about different perspectives," he says. Engagingly working toward a major in political studies, Marco has already had some promising conversations with other students and staff that see his vision and feel his passion.

Making the connection

Marco didn't always see the connection between his education and his own passions. "First I wanted to be an engineer because you get paid a lot," he said. However, in a short time Marco came to see the ways in which change is made by people who write laws into legislation. "I believe that a higher education is the way to secure a more promising future for myself, my family and my community. That's why I chose political science," he says.

More than a degree

Marco also notes that an attraction to historical political activists such as Malcolm X and Cesar Chavez has contributed to his interest in political science and creating change. With men like these as his inspiration and other Act Six students around to support him, Marco is well motivated toward making a change. "I want to help youth find opportunities that are sometimes buried under racism, discrimination, ignorance and negative assumptions," he said. For Marco, his college experience will result in more than a degree. His success will be a step for him, and his community, in the right direction.

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