Marco is a Queer and Trans Latino UCSB alum from Alhambra, California. He graduated in UCSB's Class of 2022 with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychological and Brain Sciences. After spending his first year exploring his identity outside the RCSGD (until meeting their friendly staff), Marco started working with the RCSGD in the second year of his Undergraduate Career. He began as an Office Assistant before transitioning into the roles of Volunteer Coordinator (2019-2022), Interim Program Coordinator (2021-June 2022), Program Coordinator (June 2022- April 2024), and currently the Assistant Director for Programs and Leadership position as of May 2024.
While earning his Bachelor's Degree and working for the RCSGD, Marco was also an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Social Cognitive Development Lab where he worked on completing his Senior Honors Thesis focusing on children's perceptions of biracial children's identity claims. Additionally, Marco was involved with Student Organizations such as the Student Initiated Recruitment and Retention Committee (SIRRC) as a tutor at San Marcos High School and with La Familia de Colores as a member and later the Retention Chair. His favorite memories from working with La Familia are the service work trip where they worked with researchers to clean the Monarch Butterfly Grove (followed by a beach day) and when he hosted study jams where he helped people find a place to study and took time to help people with Chemistry.
Marco draws strength, inspiration, hope, and courage from his ties to his Queer and Trans identities and his Latino community. He has roots in his hometown of Alhambra and ancestors ranging from Jalisco, Mexico to Honduras and El Salvador. His goal for the time he spends with the RCSGD is to create affirming spaces for folks from underserved and underrepresented communities. He gets directly involved in creating spaces for folks who may not feel that they have a space just for them on campus, which led to several collaborations. Of note is his work with the Office of Black Student Development on the Black QTea Party and the QT APISSWANA Community Celebration with colleagues from the Asian Resource Center, Middle Eastern North African South Asian Resource Center, and the Dean of Students Office. To expand opportunities for students working on their professional development, he continuously reviews the RCSGD's Volunteer and Mentorship program to provide students with ways to learn from and work with the RCSGD team and be mentored by LGBTQIA+ staff and faculty across campus. He also works to ensure students have advocacy and community spaces across campus in student-initiated and led directives. After he lived through the decline in student organizations due to the COVID-19 lockdown and its subsequent effects on student life, he dedicated a significant portion of his team's duties to reactivating and supporting the return of student organizations to campus. With this initiative growing in success, he hopes to continue this work through the Queer and Trans Leadership Council, a collective of LGBTQIA+ student organization leaders working together on shared goals and combinations of resources.
Outside of his professional role, Marco spends time searching through local bookstores for QT books, scrolling through social media, and listening to music as a way to heal and escape into his daydreams. He is an avid bike rider through his current home in Ventura and loves to explore the local coffee shops and vintage stores. He may work with communities represented by the rainbow, but you can also find him all in black at goth concerts and dance halls. You can talk to him about his passions, his programming, and his leadership work to learn more about how you can get involved on campus!
COMMITTEE WORK:
Queer Trans Leadership Council, Trans Week of Visibility, Lavender Graduation