My name is Marco Vasquez and I am 23 years old. I am the middle child of five, and was born in Brawley, California to parents who immigrated from Mexico. I had the good fortune of growing up in the San Joaquin Valley, in the town of Madera, California. During high school and college I was active at my parish, Saint Anthony Mary Claret. While in college, I became more involved in my faith life and I started to seriously consider entering the priesthood. I then started volunteering at the Diocese of Fresno, Office of Ministries while I considered embarking on religious life with a religious congregation—The Claretian Missionaries.
After I had gathered information about the Claretian Missionaries, I began a formal process of discovery and decided to move forward with the process to begin religious formation. I was officially in religious formation for four years. While at a Catholic seminary, I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with a minor in Psychology at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, IL.
I give thanks for the religious, academic, and emotional support and opportunities that I received while I was a seminarian. I had the opportunity to live with priests who were three times my age and was able to share numerous experiences. I also collaborated with members of the community in developing programs for at-risk youth in troubled neighborhoods. Because of that experience, I am deeply rooted in the values that the Claretian missionaries taught me- a sense of social justice, being aware of suffering, and most important to help develop future leaders, thus leading me to where I am today. Currently I am a student at California State University, Fresno’s HEAL Program obtaining my Masters in Education with the option of Higher Education Administration Leadership. In pursuit of my degree, my goal is to give back to the community. The education of young Latinos obtaining a higher education is a great value and of great importance to me. In my travels and experiences working with college and young adults, I realized that the need for role models is at its highest. Therefore, my goal is to be an instrument for the next generation, developing leaders within their communities, and helping to guide them to the proper avenues to become the best that they can be.
Marco Vasquez will be interning with USHM this summer overseeing content management and assisting with USHM’s digital ministry for the V Encuentro Nacional Hispano/Latino de Pastoral.
2015 © Marco Vasquez. All Rights Reserved.
