Marquez is a driven and thoughtful member of the Central community. He transferred to Central in his sophomore year, where he found a renewed sense of identity and belonging among his peers.
He embodies what it means to be a Lancer by balancing rigorous academics while taking on leadership roles, and fully immersing himself in the many opportunities and extracurriculars offered to students at dear High.
As Junior Class President, Secretary of the African American Student Union, Varsity Track and Field athlete, and a dual-enrolled student at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Marquez is a well rounded student. He is paving the way toward a rewarding future at the intersection of business and technology.
Through the generous financial support of the AACHS, Marquez received a scholarship to participate in the CIEE study abroad program where he spent a month living in Mallorca, Spain. Marquez has treasured becoming bilingual through his travels to Spain and Puerto Rico and with the Spanish curriculum at CHS.
He also credits his internship with AACHS as being one of many activities that has helps to expand his leadership skills and introduces him to alumni mentors who continue to guide his journey.
Read more about how Marquez (286) found community, confidence, and connection at Central.
1) What are your favorite things about being a CHS student? What makes you the most proud? What extracurriculars are you involved in and how does that along with your school work influence what you want your college major and career to be?
When I transferred to Central High School, it felt like I was going to a high school in the movies. Not only is it one of the biggest high schools in Philadelphia with the amount of students, sports, and clubs, but also the amount of opportunities to grow into my future self. I am proud to be a Lancers, to take on rigorous classes, and to just be a community of people that yet we are so diverse, we all support each other.
I am the Junior Class President of 286, Secretary of the African American Student Union, a Global Ambassador for our Study Abroad Club, a social media caption for the Athletics Page, and an athlete for the Varsity Cross Country & Track and Field team. I am also a dual-enrolled student, taking college courses at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Overall, throughout all of these roles and accomplishments, I believe leadership is something that I have grown into being at Central, and I think that is something that influenced me to want to major in something in the cross-fields of technology and business, specifically my anticipated goal of being accepted into M&T, a selective undergraduate program at the University of Penn.
2) What advice do you have for students coming to Central? How can they be successful within the school?
While Central is definitely a rigorous school, I believe it is important to prioritize community, mental health, and just advocacy. Despite the far commute and the immense hard work that Central has, I wouldn’t be successful if I didn’t build a community/bonds with people who support each other, speak up for myself and others, and communicate with teachers and faculty if I am having difficulties or just need advice on particular things.
3) How has being Puerto Rican shaped you? How does your identity come through as a CHS student?
Originally, I wasn’t too proud of being Puerto Rican because I wasn’t surrounded by the culture when I was younger. I was never taught how to speak Spanish, and I had the fear that I may not be “cultured” enough to be Puerto Rican or that my other ethnic ambiguous makeup doesn’t make me enough to be Puerto Rican. However, being at Central and having friends that are of Hispanic descent, I have come to love my culture and gain pride of being Puerto Rican.
Furthermore, I think I gained much more of a connection with my Hispanic side through Central’s study abroad program. I travelled to Spain over the summer of 2025 with CIEE through CHS. I received a $5,000 scholarship to live in Spain for 5 weeks with a host family and take college courses about Spanish Culture and Language. Not only did this program allow me to travel abroad, but also to learn about culture and things that you cannot just see in the Spanish classroom. Additionally, it helped me improve my Spanish. In fact, I earned the Global Seal of Biliteracy. Overall, having built more confidence in my ability to speak Spanish, I am able to speak with my family members who only know Spanish. This is something that is super meaningful to me, as I visited Puerto Rico right before my junior year and was able to navigate through PR without needing a translator and also having the ability to connect with my culture, family, and their traditions.
4) How has the alumni network supported you during your time at central? What has your involvement with the alumni and the alumni office looked like? What have you learned from AACHS?
Being an intern for the Alumni Association for almost a year now, I am able to learn more about leadership, administrative tasks, and also just overall be a better student. Not only have I gotten to learn more about the rich history of Central High School, but I also got to connect with alumni who shared their experiences being at Central and also their experience in their post-secondary careers. I can recall meeting many alumni during Career Day, and still being connected to them to this day, gaining out-of-school opportunities & fellowships through them.
I also want to express my gratitude to Cynthia, Abby, and all of the leadership members of AACHS, for giving me opportunities to not only be an intern, but also to attend special events to meet others and gain valuable insight into what life would be like after high school.