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| Home | Invest in Yourself | Rudy Marquez |
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Rudy Marquez made the trip 12 years ago. Now an electrical engineer at TVA, Marquez’ journey was made possible by his own intelligence and work ethic. He says that without the generosity of others and the help he received at Walters State, he would still be on the farm. Marquez took the grueling G.E.D. exam at the college in 1997. His score remains one of the highest ever achieved on the grueling exam. And it earned him a scholarship to attend Walters State. “I was working on a farm at the time. College seemed like a different world. I didn’t think I could do it,” Marquez said. “But everyone said, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way. We’ll find the way.’” Marquez returned to Mexico to obtain the needed student visa with Rose and Steve Parella and with the help of Edd Bissell, a retired pharmacist. Marquez had worked several years on Bissell’s Jefferson County farm. Marquez now calls Bissell “my American dad.” He secured the required paperwork in Mexico and came back to Tennessee. It was then that he realized he would have to pay out-of-state tuition, which was not covered by the scholarship. With this setback, Marquez was almost ready to give up on an education. The first semesters, Marquez received support from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Then, the late Charles A. “Z” Buda learned about Marquez’ plight from Bissell. The business and philanthropic leader was a generous supporter of higher education and didn’t want to see a young man with potential denied the chance. Marquez was awarded a full-time tuition scholarship funded by Buda. Buda died in 2002. He remains one of Walters State’s most generous benefactors. Marquez was one of thousands to benefit from his generosity, but the only out-of-state student. Marquez continued working on Bissell’s farm “doing what a son or daughter would do at home for room and board. He was prohibited from doing more by his visa. As soon as he could, he started working as a tutor, sending the little money he could spare home to help his parents. He graduated from Walters State with a 3.98 GPA in a demanding pre-engineering program. He was named to the Phi Theta Kappa USA Today All-Tennessee Academic Team, one of the highest honors a community college student can receive. Looking back, he doesn’t know how he did it all. And, to him, the sacrifices he made at the time seem minimal. “This was the opportunity of my lifetime. Everything changed because of Walters State, Mr. Buda, Edd, Rosie, Rose, Steven and the many other wonderful people who pulled together to help me reach my dream of a higher education.” After completing his associate’s degree, he was offered a scholarship to attend Tennessee Tech. He completed his bachelor’s degree and went to work for TVA. Marquez works in the Chattanooga office. He and his wife, Lupita, are the proud parents of an infant son, Adrian Rodolfo. |
Walters
State Community College · 500 South Davy Crockett Parkway · Morristown,
TN 37813-6899
Phone: (423) 585-2600 · Toll Free: (800) 225-4770 · Contact Walters State
Phone: (423) 585-2600 · Toll Free: (800) 225-4770 · Contact Walters State