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Even as young as 10 years old, Irma Marquez was confronted with the pitfalls of doing well. The 2008 graduate of St. James High School and current student at Gustavus Adolphus College at the time was being teased by other Latino kids simply for doing her best in school and for being involved in activities.
Irma, born in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, had just learned to speak, read, and write in English not long before. Now she was being confronted by her cultural colleagues and being teased for taking part in theater, in choir, and for pulling down good grades.
“I saw a lot of people put me down thinking that doing well in school and being Latina was not the Latina thing to do -- that it was for Caucasian-only kids to do well in school,” said Irma in a recent interview. “My response was always, education is not only for Caucasian people, edcation is for anyone. It is what you make of it.”
Those days in St. James’ middle school left a permanent mark on Irma, now a standout student at Gustavus. But the old taunts inspired a positive response. This summer Irma is planning to bring a message of acceptance to area kids striving for success.
Irma is organizing sessions this summer for St. James’ middle school kids aimed at inspiring students to embrace their ethnicity and encouraging them to pursue passions they have in school and in life. She is in the beginning stages of setting definite times and a program itinerary. Irma is in fact devoting much of January to planning the summer program, which she says will likely be aimed at 5th, 6th, and 7th graders.
So how did Ms. Marquez become qualified for this venture?
Well, in addition to pursuing a triple-major at Gustavus -- Political Science, Sociology/ Anthropology, and Gender, Women Studies -- Irma was one of six students from Minnesota’s private colleges to earn a Phillips Scholarship. The award came last spring, in Irma’s sophomore year at Gustavus.
Each of Minnesota’s 16 private schools chooses one student as a Phillips finalist. Irma and the other Phillips finalists submitted to an extensive application process. They cited academic and extra-curricular records, collected recommendations, and outlined real-world plans “to make life better for people with unmet needs in Minnesota communities.” Irma fit the bill. She and five others were awarded $16,150 scholarships.
Irma says that around $500 of the scholarship will go to funding this summer’s powwows. She’s already looking into partnerships with city or school district programs already in place. The summer sessions -- Irma hesitates to call them summer camps -- will also be community-oriented. Irma welcomes anyone interested in volunteering. Plus, she stresses, they are not just for Latinos, any and all kids are encouraged to sign up for the free gatherings.
Irma is looking at possibly 300 hours total of meeting time. Right now, the plan looks to split the class studywork into thirds: the first part would look at students’ ancestry/ethnicity and how their families strove for a better life; the second part is about inspirations -- what students like to do; and the third part would be looking to the future and the possibilities people may have.
For Irma Marquez, this project comes many years in the making. She hopes that St. James’ youngsters can benefit from a little encouragement and that old attitudes about involvement and success can be buried.
“Your race doesn’t determine what you can do in education,” says Irma. “(People’s) culture, their race, and everything that makes them who they are -- Latino or not -- is something to be proud of.”
Even as young as 10 years old, Irma Marquez was confronted with the pitfalls of doing well. The 2008 graduate of St. James High School and current student at Gustavus Adolphus College at the time was being teased by other Latino kids simply for doing her best in school and for being involved in activities.
Irma, born in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, had just learned to speak, read, and write in English not long before. Now she was being confronted by her cultural colleagues and being teased for taking part in theater, in choir, and for pulling down good grades.
“I saw a lot of people put me down thinking that doing well in school and being Latina was not the Latina thing to do -- that it was for Caucasian-only kids to do well in school,” said Irma in a recent interview. “My response was always, education is not only for Caucasian people, edcation is for anyone. It is what you make of it.”
Those days in St. James’ middle school left a permanent mark on Irma, now a standout student at Gustavus. But the old taunts inspired a positive response. This summer Irma is planning to bring a message of acceptance to area kids striving for success.
Irma is organizing sessions this summer for St. James’ middle school kids aimed at inspiring students to embrace their ethnicity and encouraging them to pursue passions they have in school and in life. She is in the beginning stages of setting definite times and a program itinerary. Irma is in fact devoting much of January to planning the summer program, which she says will likely be aimed at 5th, 6th, and 7th graders.
So how did Ms. Marquez become qualified for this venture?
Well, in addition to pursuing a triple-major at Gustavus -- Political Science, Sociology/ Anthropology, and Gender, Women Studies -- Irma was one of six students from Minnesota’s private colleges to earn a Phillips Scholarship. The award came last spring, in Irma’s sophomore year at Gustavus.
Each of Minnesota’s 16 private schools chooses one student as a Phillips finalist. Irma and the other Phillips finalists submitted to an extensive application process. They cited academic and extra-curricular records, collected recommendations, and outlined real-world plans “to make life better for people with unmet needs in Minnesota communities.” Irma fit the bill. She and five others were awarded $16,150 scholarships.
Irma says that around $500 of the scholarship will go to funding this summer’s powwows. She’s already looking into partnerships with city or school district programs already in place. The summer sessions -- Irma hesitates to call them summer camps -- will also be community-oriented. Irma welcomes anyone interested in volunteering. Plus, she stresses, they are not just for Latinos, any and all kids are encouraged to sign up for the free gatherings.
Irma is looking at possibly 300 hours total of meeting time. Right now, the plan looks to split the class studywork into thirds: the first part would look at students’ ancestry/ethnicity and how their families strove for a better life; the second part is about inspirations -- what students like to do; and the third part would be looking to the future and the possibilities people may have.
For Irma Marquez, this project comes many years in the making. She hopes that St. James’ youngsters can benefit from a little encouragement and that old attitudes about involvement and success can be buried.
“Your race doesn’t determine what you can do in education,” says Irma. “(People’s) culture, their race, and everything that makes them who they are -- Latino or not -- is something to be proud of.”
