Marco Juarez

Marco Juarez was born in Leon Guanajuato, Mexico in 1995. Then in 2005, Marco migrated to the United States at age 10 with his mother, younger brother, and younger sister to join his father. The family was shortly extended in 2007 to welcome the youngest sister to the family. Marco grew up in South Central Los Angeles throughout his youth. During this exciting period, Marco played club soccer and had the opportunity to win National and State championships. 

Marco Juarez became the first person in his family to attend college with a full ride to the University of California Los Angeles. At UCLA, Marco pursued degrees in Education, Ethnic Studies, and Gender Studies. Marco had the privilege to co-author “Making Our Nation Fear the Powerless” (2019) in collaboration with Professor Otto Santa Ana and other colleagues. The research produced by Marco and the team was used by the 9th Circuit Appellate Court to challenge the Department of Homeland Security’s rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). After a year of working as a teacher, Marco Juarez enrolled at Loyola Marymount University to pursue his Master’s in Urban Education, emphasizing leadership and policy. Marco’s research at LMU focused on the disparities in college enrollment rates for minority students.   

Marco’s passion for education derives from his personal experience navigating the educational system. Great teachers who helped Marco during his difficult transition into American society influenced Marco’s desire to assist disadvantaged communities. Marco’s commitment to helping others started in High School when he started mentoring his friends, then he started tutoring his sibling’s friends and eventually worked as a tutor throughout his UCLA career. Marco has nearly five years of experience in a self-contained classroom, three of which have been in Catholic education. During his time as a Catholic School teacher, Marco served as the 8th-grade Math and Science teacher, one of his responsibilities was to ensure student faith development through active participation in mass processions, spiritual retreats, and ACRE preparation. Marco Juarez is guided by his faith in God to approach student education holistically, capturing students’ social, academic, and faith development.