06.22.2017
Marco Looks Globally To Make An Impact
For most of 17-year-old Marco’s life, education had never been a priority. “No one in my house, not my parents or my uncles, had ever graduated from high school. They were all dropouts. I started to believe that people in my family just weren’t meant to have an education,” he said.
That all changed when Marco was placed in foster care during his sophomore year of high school. In his new foster home, Marco’s caregivers held him to high academic expectations and encouraged him to attend school on a regular basis for the first time. Marco also began meeting with Treehouse Education Specialist Roland who became another voice of encouragement and motivation in his life.
“Roland would remind me that I’m smart and would help me refocus when I would start to fall behind in school,” Marco said.
Once his grades were on track, Roland helped Marco connect to extracurricular activities where he could explore his passions outside the classroom. Through the support of Treehouse’s Little Wishes program, Marco was able to attend a cultural immersion and service trip to Guatemala through Global Visionaries.
Working with kids in underserved communities proved to be life-altering for him. He returned home from his trip with a desire to continue giving back globally.
“I saw so many people in poverty who couldn’t afford to go to school,” he said. “I realized that I should never again take my education and the opportunities it provides me for granted.”
Throughout his senior year, Marco continued to work towards the future he never dreamed possible just a few years ago. After researching potential college programs with Roland in fall, he applied—and was admitted—to both the University of Washington and Seattle University.
On June 21, Marco proudly walked across the stage and to accept his well-deserved high school diploma. In August, he’s off to Seattle University to start his freshman year of college where he’ll study education so he can teach kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn like he did.
“I now have a hope and a purpose for the future, and I’m going to make my family proud,” Marco said.
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About the Author
Emily Snitker is the Marketing and Communications Specialist for Treehouse. She is thankful for the opportunity to share the stories of Treehouse students, families, and supporters with the community.