By Veronica Gonzalez Hoff, Division of Student Affairs

Marco Cruz ‘23 is proud of the journey that has made his Aggie experience unlike anyone else's. The Public Health major grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and was raised by his single mother, who is a huge inspiration for choosing to pursue a career in healthcare administration. 

“The simple fact of being a Latino, raised by a single mother, and being from the Rio Grande Valley, it is hard to imagine attending a university like Texas A&M,” Marco shared.

Marco first visited Texas A&M University in 9th grade and immediately felt a sense of community and belonging and knew he wanted to go here. 

During the college application process his senior year, Marco received an opportunity for a full scholarship to attend classes at the Texas A&M McAllen Higher Education Center. When he visited the McAllen campus during his senior year, he felt the same sense of community and belonging and knew he was home. He knew it was the right decision for him so that he could help relieve the major financial burden of college costs that would fall on his mom. 

“It just felt right. I felt like I belonged here and I wanted to get my public health degree here,” he shared. 

His first semester in college was not easy. Marco struggled with the transition from high school to college and wound up on academic and financial aid probation. Instead of feeling defeated, Marco knew he needed to turn things around. He worked with his academic advisor to get on a plan to help him change his situation, which included a series of sessions with his academic advisor, academic coach, and financial aid advisor. 

Despite probation being a negative situation, Marco credits the experience as a life-changing one because of the success skills he learned like improved note taking, time management, and study tactics.

“I tell my students to take advantage of academic coaching. I learned so many things. It completely changed my college experience,” Marco shared. 

Because of his experience, Marco is now a peer mentor where he helps first-year students toward a successful college career. He also serves as a student assistant for the Academic Affairs Advising Office, where he helps support faculty in making sure they have the resources necessary to be able to assist students. 

“I've always been someone who has enjoyed helping and assisting others. Being involved in the activities that I'm in allows me to ensure that I'm helping these students to know that they have at least one person who believes in them,” Marco said. “I am now a straight-A student who is on his way to graduating a semester early with honors, and even applying for an internship in Seoul, South Korea. My story includes many ups and downs, but I'm proud of it because it's mine.”

For Marco, being an Aggie means so much more than academics. He has experienced the strength of the Aggie family in more ways than one. His aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 Ovarian cancer in March 2020. In March of this year, the cancer spread beyond what the doctors imagined and gave her up to a year to live. 

Attending classes through the McAllen center allows him to be with his family throughout this difficult time. Staff and counseling resources through the McAllen center help support and encourage him so that he can continue through his studies.

“My favorite part of being an Aggie is being surrounded by people who care about you much more than just as a student or peer,” Marco shared. “These are people that I see more than my family, yet it doesn't feel strange to consider them as my extended family. I'm part of a family whose main goal is to build one's character to be successful beyond our college career.”