When Mauricio Antonio Marquez Palencia began his studies at San Diego City College in spring 2012, he did not speak English!

Three year later, in April, Mauricio was one of 92 community college students in California selected for the Community College League of California’s 2015 All-California Academic Team. Members are chosen by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international community college honor society, based on grades, leadership, and community service.

On May 22nd Mauricio graduated with highest of Honors from San Diego City College.

Next semester Mauricio will continue his education at UCSD where he will be in pursuit of a bachelor’s of science degree in microbiology, with the ultimate goal of obtaining his M.D.-Ph.D. with a focus in hematology. In preperation, this summer, he will conduct biomedical research at UCSD in the Medical Science Training Program (MSTP).

Mauricio has overcome many obstacles to obtain his degree. In addition to moving to a new country and not speaking the language, Mauricio needed a job to pay school expenses. “While in college I have learned and improved my English skills from a complete non-English speaker to a mostly English speaker. English is still difficult for me. Since English is not my first language, there are always new words to learn every day, but this will not stop me from achieving my goals.”

While at City College, Mauricio had been selected as a participant in a highly competitive academic enrichment project at the UCSD University Link Medical Science Program. The project is targeted to disadvantaged community college students who intend to transfer to a four-year university and pursue a professional career in the behavioral, clinical, or biomedical fields. Mauricio was also a Research Assistant at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and he provided two years of community services at a clinical laboratory at the General Hospital of Tijuana.

If that was not enough, Mauricio founded and served as President of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Club. He was also a tutor in the Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program in the areas of biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry.

Mauricio received numerous scholarships and awards for outstanding academic achievement, including the Friends of Downtown, the Osher Scholarship, and the Price Scholarship Program. As a Price scholar, Mauricio became not only a leader but a mentor for incoming freshmen students at City College that were also part of the Price Scholarship program. He helped his community by being a medical interpreter at the UCSD Student Run Free Clinic through the Price Scholarship Program.

He received the MESA “Veronica Navallez Spirit” award in recognition for leadership and integrity that epitomizes the spirit and culture of the City College MESA program. Mauricio said, “I realized that being a leader is not just looking for opportunities and opening doors for my own success. A real leader helps, and supports others and provides them with the necessary tools and opportunities that may open doors in their future career path.”