BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School students can simply look at Marcus Marshall’s life and see what can be accomplished, but they also get the opportunity to talk to him and receive the help they need as they, too, go down the path toward becoming a first-generation college student.
Marshall is the new academic coach with the Upward Bound, Santa Fe College program, which is offered free to BHS students. Upward Bound is a part of the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO program, which is designed to provide assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Upward Bound accepts students that are potentially first-generation college students and whose families meet income requirements set by the U.S. Department of Education.
“Being a first-generation college student myself, I understand those shoes,” Marshall said. “I know the difficulty I had just filling out financial-aid papers and doing a lot of these things on my own — learning and bumping my head also in the process. I’m just looking forward to making it easier for the students coming behind me.”
Marshall began working with Upward Bound, Santa Fe College in January, making the move from teaching.
“I was just looking to do something different,” Marshall said.
As a teacher, Marshall could encourage students to go to college. As an academic coach with Upward Bound, he’s more than an encourager.
“I’m here to help them actually get there,” Marshall said.
Getting there…and then getting here
Marshall was born in Georgia, but grew up in San Diego.
“We moved to California because she wanted a better life for us,” Marshall said, referring to his mother. He added, “I had, I think, a tremendous childhood.”
When it came to thinking about his future, Marshall said he thought maybe he’d get a football scholarship. That didn’t happen, however, so he had to get used to a new role — being a student only as opposed to a student-athlete. He credited “some really good teachers” he had in high school for helping him think about his future path and what career it would lead him to.
Marshall left California to go to college, making his first journey to Florida, where he attended Daytona Beach’s Bethune-Cookman University and majored in Social Science Education. Following graduation, he taught for a couple of years in Broward County before moving to Illinois, where he taught and coached.
“While there, I coached basketball, track, football, volleyball — you name it, I coached it,” he said.
His time in Illinois wasn’t solely devoted to teaching and coaching. He also worked on a master’s degree, which he earned from Lindenwood University.
Marshall eventually moved to Texas, saying, “I just got tired of the cold weather in Illinois.” He worked there for six years before deciding he wanted to impact youth beyond just teaching in a classroom.
“This was just an opportunity that presented itself,” Marshall said of the academic coach position with Upward Bound, adding, “It worked out for me.”
A support system
Any new situation is scary, but it becomes even more so if no one in your family has gone through it before you.
Marshall knows. Whether it’s filling out college applications or financial-aid forms or trying to figure out how to devote enough time to your studies while also working a job so you can earn enough money to eat, the whole experience can be intimidating for first-generation college students.
“Things are not always going to be comfortable for you,” Marshall said.
Upward Bound is that support system, to help students know ahead of time what to expect and to help them stay on the path toward college. As academic coach, Marshall visits students on campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“I try to reach as many as I can while there,” he said, adding, “We discuss everything from scholarships and financial aid to the SAT and ACT.”
His interactions, of course, allow him to share his story.
“I want them to understand that even though there’s a generational gap between us, I have walked in their shoes before,” Marshall said.
Upward Bound is more than just telling students what to expect in college. Field trips to college campuses are also offered. Students took a recent trip to Alabama, where they visited Auburn and Tuskegee universities.
“It was an amazing time on both campuses,” Marshall said. “They got to see a lot of the history there in Alabama also.
“Walking those campuses, I encouraged them to ask as many questions as possible. You want them to make sure they have a full view of everything this campus has to offer.”
Students are also encouraged to picture themselves at whatever college they’re visiting, asking themselves if they could see themselves being there and walking that campus as a student.
Some students may obviously choose to stay closer to home when going to college, but a trip to a far-away campus in Florida or outside of Florida may encourage them to seek out experiences they might otherwise never have if they stay close to home.
Of course, one choice isn’t better than the other. The goal of Upward Bound is to help get students into college. Beyond that, Marshall said he hopes students grow to become good citizens.
“I think the biggest thing I would like to see them do is become their own person and give back. All of us enter these different colleges to learn, but you also have a part to serve,” Marshall said, adding, “Whether you’re teaching, whether you are an attorney, whether you’re a doctor — you’re giving back. Don’t forget to give back to where you left, and that’s your hometown.”
Marshall said he’s given thought to how an Upward Bound-type program would’ve impacted him as a youth. He admitted he probably would’ve reached his potential sooner.
Yet he still accomplished what he set out to. Now, he is part of a program that can help the youth of today and of the future reach their potential.
It’s a great thing to be involved with.
“We’re excited here (at Upward Bound),” Marshall said. “Excitement is always contagious. If we keep the excitement going, we can influence generations.”
