Jose Prado Memorial Scholarship

My name is Marcos Vidal Marroquin. I have attended East Valley High School from 2018-present and am currently attending the University of Washington where I am expected to graduate in 2026. My parents are Jairo Marroquin and Graciela Merida. They were both born in Guatemala and later immigrated to the United States where they met and got married in Georgia. They’ve been married for 22 years and have raised my older sister and I in a christian household. I lived in Georgia for around seven years until we ran away due to my parents’ citizenship status. We arrived in Spokane three days later and have lived here ever since, creating a new chapter in all of our lives. We have been congregants of our church for over 10 years now and have been actively involved. Growing up, I have always been fond of math and science, and have excelled with anything related to them. Consequently, it shaped my dreams and aspirations to pursue a career that has a lot to do with those subjects. I am planning to major in physics, or astrophysics, as it ties in both subjects uniquely and fits my interests. Additionally, I was awarded with the Spokane Scholar Award in the criteria of math. I got where I am today through God’s will and my parents’ sacrifice. I am grateful for my parents and all the good they have done for me. They have raised me to be a respectful, amicable person that is curious about the world we live in. I’m also grateful for my teachers and friends who have given me a wonderful education experience. I am thankful for all the anecdotes and advice I have received, especially from Mrs. Peterson, who has motivated me from the start. I wish to be able to one day say I made it, and be able to reach out to each and every one of those who made the journey less lonely and easier. I have been involved with the Latino community in many different ways. The primary one has been through church. I have played the drums for almost 10 years and have also been a kids’ teacher for three years. I have also taken on the role of being a tutor for kids who only speak Spanish in my school. I will meet up with them three times a week and help them with math and English at the same time. Additionally, when I worked at Wendy’s, I would occasionally have the opportunity to help Spanish-speaking customers with their orders and even a deaf person as well. I hope to be a beacon to other latino students and show that while the journey may be arduous, it is definitely possible. Receiving this scholarship would greatly help me with my education. Although my EFC says it’s around 15K, in reality it’s not even half of that, so as a result, COA for the schools I want to go to are higher than my family and I expected. The money would help me further my education in physics and give me a confidence booster to achieve my goals, as well as let me know that I’m not alone and have the Latino community supporting me as well.