Arcelia Márquez

Academic Program Chair

In her position on the Board of Directors, Arcelia Márquez oversees a committee to support Nuestras Raíces members in both academic and career ready programming. The committee plans, organizes, and hosts workshops that aid members in higher education and/or career goals. The committee hosts an annual academic conference to support members, and their parents, in their journey through high school, community college, secondary education, and beyond. Additionally, the committee hosts a number of workshops and explorations throughout the year (summer program, college tours, application workshops, resume building, guest speakers, etc.) to guide members in the growth of cultural and academic knowledge base aka wealth. Lastly, her committee is responsible for running our annual Scholarship Program, which awards a financial scholarships to all graduating seniors in Nuestras Raíces who apply.

Arcelia Márquez is one of the founding members of Nuestras Raíces. She joined the organization when she was 5 years old, has been dancing for over 25 years and has performed extensively. She earned her B.A in Psychology from UC Merced, where she directed and choreographed for Ballet Folklorico de UC Merced. She was also a founding member of the Mu chapter of Sigma Theta Psi Multicultural Sorority in Merced. She earned her credential and M.Ed in Special Education from University of the Pacific, in conjunction with Alder Graduate School of Education in 2020. Arcelia is an Education Specialist and works in Aspire Public Schools, with students at the high school level. Arcelia’s goal as an educator is to close the achievement gap for low-income, students of color with different learning needs by providing her scholars with the tools they need to reach their fullest potential and succeed in an inclusive general education setting.