{"id":155909,"date":"2026-10-19T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//?p=155909"},"modified":"2026-10-12T12:36:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T16:36:06","slug":"transfer-student-first-generation-graduate-proves-its-never-too-late-to-aim-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//transfer-student-first-generation-graduate-proves-its-never-too-late-to-aim-high/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//","title":{"rendered":"Transfer Student, First-Generation Graduate Proves It/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s Never Too Late to Aim High"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p><strong>Robin Marquez /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201926</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//strong> has re-prioritized his necessities at the University of Minnesota: he has clothes for exploring, clothes for frigid winters and somewhere he/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s safely stored a new passport. This is Marquez/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s latest stop in a lifelong itinerary that/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s taken him from Brooklyn, New York, to Palm Beach County to Tampa, Florida, to UCF.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<blockquote><p>Oct. 19-23 is National Transfer Student Week</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p></news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blockquote>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cI created a new road by going offroad,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d he says.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>Marquez is coming up on his 31<sup>st</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//sup> birthday. He graduated from UCF in May with a <a href=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//degree/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//biology-bs/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/">biology degree</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//a> and an unexpected interest. Among the possessions he took north are arthropod samples collected from the UCF Arboretum, an 80-acre parcel of research-rich ecosystems. He/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s studying the microscopic insects for information about biological diversity. They/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019ve already provided the direction Marquez sought for so long.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cWhat I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019m doing now, I couldn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t fathom a few years ago,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d he says.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<figure id=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"attachment_155910/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" style=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"max-width: 1200px;/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure mx-auto d-block/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"><noscript><img decoding=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"async/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" width=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"1200/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" height=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"757/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-img img-fluid w-100 wp-image-155910 size-full/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Robin-Marquez_Entomolical-Society-of-America.jpg/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" alt=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Robin Marquez accepting an award on stage/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" 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src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"data:image/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%20757%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" alt=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Robin Marquez accepting an award on stage/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" srcset=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"data:image/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%20757%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1200w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" sizes=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" data-srcset=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Robin-Marquez_Entomolical-Society-of-America.jpg 1200w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Robin-Marquez_Entomolical-Society-of-America-300x189.jpg 300w, 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https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Robin-Marquez_Entomolical-Society-of-America-360x227.jpg 360w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" data-src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Robin-Marquez_Entomolical-Society-of-America.jpg/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"><figcaption class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-caption/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/">UCF biology alum Robin Marquez /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201926 accepts the the 2025 Alate Award from the Entomological Society of America. (Photo courtesy of Robin Marquez /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201926)</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//figcaption></news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//figure>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>In his mid-20s, Marquez felt as if he were stuck in the weeds with a high school education and blurry future. Today, this same Robin Marquez has achieved the following: awarded the <a href=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//founders-day-2026-student-awardees/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/">Order of Pegasus</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//a>, recognition as the first student nominated through Valencia College for a <a href=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//ucf-student-honored-with-prestigious-goldwater-scholarship/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/">Goldwater Scholarship</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//a>, collaborated with researchers at Yale University and the Smithsonian Institution, and stood as the only undergraduate to receive the coveted Entomological Society of America Alate Award in 2025.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>All of this has led him to the Twin Cities to work on a Ph.D. in entomology.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cI still don/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t know where the limit is,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d Marquez says.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>His successes aren/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t just for him. They/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019re for anyone who thinks they/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019ve wandered off the academic road.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cI no longer buy the narrative of hitting traditional checkpoints, like [completing an uninterrupted path to graduation] and starting a career by your early 20s,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cIt might take time to find the right people to propel you in ways you never thought possible./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<figure id=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"attachment_155911/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" style=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"max-width: 1200px;/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure mx-auto d-block/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"><noscript><img decoding=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"async/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" width=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"1200/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" height=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"800/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-img size-full wp-image-155911 img-fluid/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship.jpg/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" alt=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Natural History Research Experiences (NHRE) intern Robin Marquez, 色花堂, with mentors Matt Buffington, Research Entomologist, Robert &quot;&quot;Luke&quot;&quot; Kresslein, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Jeff Sosa-Calvo, NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, all in the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. Robert/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s research project involves studying Leaf-Litter Hidden Treasures: Discovering Neotropical Micro-Hymenoptera. NHRE is a ten-week, summer research internship program for undergraduates hosted at the National Museum of Natural History. NHRE interns work closely with scientific mentors to complete independent research projects in Earth Science, Biology, and Anthropology. The 2024 NHRE program is funded through the National Science Foundation (REU Site, EAR-2244445) and Smithsonian Endowments./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" srcset=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship.jpg 1200w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship-300x200.jpg 300w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship-768x512.jpg 768w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship-600x400.jpg 600w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship-360x240.jpg 360w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" sizes=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"></news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//noscript><img decoding=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"async/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" width=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"1200/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" height=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"800/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-img size-full wp-image-155911 img-fluid lazyload/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"data:image/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%20800%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" alt=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Natural History Research Experiences (NHRE) intern Robin Marquez, 色花堂, with mentors Matt Buffington, Research Entomologist, Robert &quot;&quot;Luke&quot;&quot; Kresslein, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Jeff Sosa-Calvo, NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, all in the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. Robert/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s research project involves studying Leaf-Litter Hidden Treasures: Discovering Neotropical Micro-Hymenoptera. NHRE is a ten-week, summer research internship program for undergraduates hosted at the National Museum of Natural History. NHRE interns work closely with scientific mentors to complete independent research projects in Earth Science, Biology, and Anthropology. The 2024 NHRE program is funded through the National Science Foundation (REU Site, EAR-2244445) and Smithsonian Endowments./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" srcset=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"data:image/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%20800%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1200w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" sizes=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" data-srcset=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship.jpg 1200w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship-300x200.jpg 300w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship-768x512.jpg 768w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship-600x400.jpg 600w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship-360x240.jpg 360w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" data-src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Rob-Marquez_Smithsonian-Internship.jpg/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"><figcaption class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-caption/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/">Robin Marquez &#8217;26 completed leaf litter sampling as part of entomology training during his &nbsp;internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Summer 2024. (Photo courtesy of Robin Marquez /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201926)</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//figcaption></news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//figure>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>Marquez tried the /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201ctraditional checkpoints/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d route after high school, enrolling at the University of South Florida on a full ride in 2013. He imagined cruising along to medical school. However, 16 months later he departed USF with a failing GPA and mounting mental health challenges.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cI felt crushed,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cI thought college would be my ticket out of socioeconomic hardship, that I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019d be a first-generation graduate and break a cycle. Instead, it came to a grinding halt. I had the capability but not the right mindset. So, I kind of floated in this nebulous space of /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2018adulthood./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019 /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>Marquez carried the label /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201ccollege dropout/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d in his mind for years. To this day, it/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s hard for him to explain how misunderstood he felt.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<figure id=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"attachment_155915/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" style=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"max-width: 300px;/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure float-left/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"><noscript><img decoding=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"async/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" width=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"300/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" height=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"400/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-img size-full wp-image-155915 img-fluid/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Robin-Marquez_bioblitz-candid.jpg/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" alt=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Robin Marquez in a field with flowers/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" 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src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"data:image/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20300%20400%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" alt=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Robin Marquez in a field with flowers/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" srcset=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"data:image/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20300%20400%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 300w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" sizes=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" 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https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Robin-Marquez_bioblitz-candid-270x360.jpg 270w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" data-src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF_Robin-Marquez_bioblitz-candid.jpg/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"><figcaption class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-caption/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/">Robin Marquez&#8217; 26 &nbsp;looking for pollinating insects during a UCF Bug Closet bioblitz, an event focused on finding and identifying as many species as possible. (Photo courtesy of Robin Marquez &#8217;26)</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//figcaption></news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//figure>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>Volunteering at an animal shelter became an escape. He moved to Orlando and grew plants in his apartment, hoping to shake himself out of stasis. A friend noticed how he enjoyed gardening and said he could make a career at it.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cI grew up in the concrete jungle of Brooklyn before my family moved to Florida,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d Marquez says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cA gardening career sounded impossible until I heard Valencia [College] offers a degree in plant science. I thought I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019d take a class, set the bar low and get back on my feet./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>A botany instructor at Valencia, Fabiano Isenhour, told Marquez to aim higher and consider research. The program director, Javier Garces, suggested he pursue a doctorate.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cI went from thinking two years of college would be my path into the workforce,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d Marquez says, /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cto wondering where research might take me./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<h2>The Fascinated Bug Librarian</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//h2>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>In January of 2024, nearly 10 years after leaving college with a 0.9 GPA, Marquez transferred through the DirectConnect to UCF program with multiple plant certifications and a 4.0 earned at Valencia. His mental health had improved, too.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<figure id=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"attachment_155914/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" style=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"max-width: 300px;/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure float-left/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"><noscript><img decoding=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"async/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" width=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"300/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" height=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"415/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-img size-full wp-image-155914 img-fluid/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" 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src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"data:image/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20300%20415%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" alt srcset=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"data:image/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20300%20415%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 300w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" sizes=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" 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https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF-Bug-Closet_Robin-Marquez_-289x400.jpg 289w, https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF-Bug-Closet_Robin-Marquez_-260x360.jpg 260w/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" data-src=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//wp-content/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blogs.dir/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//20/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//files/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//2026/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//10/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//UCF-Bug-Closet_Robin-Marquez_.jpg/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"><figcaption class=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"figure-caption/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/">Robin Marquez &#8217;26 in the UCF Bug Closet. (Photo courtesy of Robin Marquez &#8217;26)</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//figcaption></news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//figure>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cEverything snowballed,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201c色花堂, I spent time with a wellness coach in the McNair Scholars Program. Mentors like (former Professor) Patrick Bohlen were invested in my potential. I found this intersection of passion, support and community, which fueled my drive.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>Marquez also discovered the Arboretum and UCF/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s Bug Closet, a collection of more than 575,000 specimens /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2014 one of the largest completely databased collections in the world /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2014 that heightened his new curiosity about the relationship between insects and agriculture.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cInsect specimens are like books,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cThey provide knowledge about the world. In the Bug Closet, I was the librarian. My research there led me to the Smithsonian, where I worked with species that are new to science. Someday I could be involved in giving them names./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<h2>On His Own Track in Life</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//h2>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<blockquote><p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cWhen I look back at where I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019ve been and where I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019ve come, it/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s exhilarating. I can/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t imagine making it this far if my path hadn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t led to UCF./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p></news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//blockquote>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>The dispiriting label Marquez once shouldered has been shed. In its place, he has that new passport, which he/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s using to present research at international conferences. He envisions completing his doctorate and working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture or Smithsonian to support America/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s natural resources through entomology.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cI/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019m just now finding where I belong,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201cWhen I look back at where I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019ve been and where I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019ve come, it/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s exhilarating. I can/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t imagine making it this far if my path hadn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t led to UCF./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201d</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<p>&nbsp;</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Robin Marquez /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201926</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//strong> didn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t let dropping out of college define him. Inspired by his interest in entomology, he got his second chance at UCF and now has his sights set on a doctoral degree.</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//p>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":155917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[15992,5,27],"tags":[982,8703,1323,18102,202],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-155909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-colleges","category-student-life","tag-college-of-sciences","tag-department-of-biology","tag-direct-connect-to-ucf","tag-student-success","tag-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v28.6) - https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//yoast.com/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//product/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//yoast-seo-premium-wordpress/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909// -->/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<title>Transfer Student, First-Generation Graduate Proves It/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s Never Too Late to Aim High | 色花堂 News</news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//title>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<meta name=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"description/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" content=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Robin Marquez /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201926 didn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t let dropping out of college define him. Inspired by his interest in entomology, he got his second chance at UCF and now has his sights set on a doctoral degree./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<meta name=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"robots/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" content=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<link rel=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"canonical/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" href=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//transfer-student-first-generation-graduate-proves-its-never-too-late-to-aim-high/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<meta property=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"og:locale/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" content=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"en_US/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<meta property=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"og:type/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" content=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"article/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<meta property=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"og:title/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" content=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Transfer Student, First-Generation Graduate Proves It/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019s Never Too Late to Aim High/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909//>/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/n<meta property=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"og:description/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/" content=/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/"Robin Marquez /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u201926 didn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155909/u2019t let dropping out of college define him. 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