You know him, but do you really know him? – Alexander Marquez

     There are 30 something people in the class of 2022. Some are known, and popular amongst their brothers, and others are a bit quiet, and keep to themselves. One senior, Alexander Marquez, is arguably the most quiet. 

     Many people know of Alexander, but not many actually know him. So, I conducted an interview with him, in hopes to find out a bit about him.

…

     At first glance, Marquez looks to be a bit terrifying. He looks to be strong, tall, quiet, very argumentative, and blunt. Or at least, that’s how he presents himself to others. I too, knew of Alexander, but I was completely aware that I didn’t know him. So, in an effort to get to know him, I took a risk. The risk of him completely shutting me out if I were to try and talk with him. Either way, I asked him for an interview. To my surprise, he agreed.

     Alexander is a undocumented immagrant. Born in Juarez, Mexico, he’s had a very different upbringing than most of us. Alexander grew up economically challenged, which meant he had to sacrifice a lot to get to where he is now. When Alexander first set foot on this campus in 2015, he was welcomed.

     When he came here, way back in 6th grade, he expected something different – he expected people to be rude and not care for anything or anyone. Yet, he was surprised whenever his peers, and teachers actually cared and welcomed him. He never really found it difficult to socialize with others, he just kept to himself whenever he didn’t want to be noticed. 

     Alexander is quiet, at most times. He can usually be seen eavesdropping in the corner of someone’s classroom here. However, when engaged he is a very talkative person. Alexander, in his own words, describes himself as “Witty, funny, laidback, petty, and stubborn.” All of which, I completely agree with, by the way.

     However, with being petty, there can come many problems, and Alexander was well aware of that, so he made an effort to try and be a better person. So, he joined JROTC, a program we offer here at YMLA. With all the community service that he’s done, and learning about how to be an active member of society, he achieved that goal. 

     In my unprofessional opinion, Alexander has nothing, and nobody to fear, besides himself. He has always been his own competition. He’s always been the one to doubt himself, and be cautious, his years here at this school have really changed him, for the better. 

     Alexander believes that without this school, he would not be going off to college and be the person he is today. He plans to go to TCC community college and study computer programming. So, with that, I would hope that we can expect to see him visit YMLA for years to come. 

     Alexander Marquez is an amazing person to not just know of, but to actually know who he is. 

I am going to continue to make an effort to communicate with him, and be a friend to him.