From the president
Marcos Slater, a first-year student at the University of Texas at Arlington, is a student leader active in addressing issues of economic inequality. As a first-generation student, his passion for people is seen as he creates opportunities of increased access for his peers and the younger generation. Marcos is pursuing a degree in Computer Science actively taking time to invest in his own development and works to support others. Over the past year, Marcos has been intentional in building a campus culture grounded in service, while also investing in his own leadership and personal development. He is committed to using his education and experiences to drive meaningful, long-term change.
Personal Statement
As a child, my parents always made it clear that I would have access to food no matter what. In my senior year of high school, while volunteering at food drives and assisting with donations, I noticed this wasn’t the case for everyone else. Now studying at UTA, I took a trip with the UTA Alternative Breaks program and discovered food insecurity is an issue currently impacting thousands if not millions, every day. I worked with the UTA Volunteers on campus and have seen the severity of the problem first-hand. I intend to raise awareness of food insecurity by increasing advertising on existing resources and organizing informational sessions that teach people how to identify food-insecure environments and strategies to prevent or improve them. Additionally, having observed the complications of language barriers in this process, I will advocate for language education programs to open even more access to aid. My goal is to lessen the impact of financial hardship in communities and ensure everyone can fairly represent themselves and their needs while getting the support they need.