After high school, Marcus worked at Shannon Medical Center as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and found his calling.
“I enjoyed taking care of people,” he said. “I always wanted to be in the medical field, I just didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I found it when I worked at Shannon.”
A San Angelo native, Marcus was looking to go to college outside of his hometown, but his search kept bringing him back to Angelo State.
“When I looked at medical programs at other universities, they were too expensive and weren’t as centered on the students,” he said. “Angelo State is the best option as far as the lower cost and the education you receive. ASU is more family oriented and has a nice nursing department with great facilities.”
“Angelo State is helping me with my job for the rest of my life. I don’t get to redo this, so I’m glad I chose Angelo State.”
Marcus received multiple forms of financial aid, including an ASU Distinguished Scholarship.
“Receiving that scholarship was very beneficial to me because it helped me get books and cover what was left over that financial aid didn’t pay,” he said. “I wouldn’t have gotten that kind of scholarship somewhere else.”
Affordability was not the only reason Marcus chose ASU.
“There is more one-on-one with your professors,” he said. “I was able to succeed in most of my classes because I was able to talk to my professors. I wouldn’t have been successful in many of my classes if I went to a bigger school.”
Still in his first semester of the nursing program, Marcus is already gaining hands-on experience in the state-of-the-art Simulation Center and Skills Labs.
“We have a really nice facility,” he said. “You can practice procedures on many of the manikins. In the simulation lab, they throw you into a scenario and teach you what you would need to do for the patient in that scenario.”
Before Marcus joined the Ram Family, he followed the Men’s Volleyball Club on social media. When he arrived on campus, the club no longer met, but that didn’t stop him.
“Volleyball is something I enjoy doing and is a good stress reliever for me,” Marcus said. “I wanted to bring it back, but I didn’t know how. I reached out to one of the old team members, and they told me what I needed to do.”
Now president of the Men’s Volleyball Club, he’s crossed paths with students he would’ve never met before.
“I’ve made a lot of new friends playing volleyball,” Marcus said. “They’re all from different aspects of ASU and have different majors.”
“ASU is family oriented,” he added. “You can do anything you want here at ASU. If you want to start a club for anything, you can.”
Set to graduate in December 2024, Marcus is already looking ahead to his future.
“I want to be in the ER,” he said. “The ER is a fast-paced environment. You see everything from babies to older people. You have to be able to know and do the level of care for each one of those age groups.”
“Eventually, I want to be a travel nurse,” he added. “I’ve always been in San Angelo, and I want to go to different places and see different things.”
Despite his initial desire to go to another university, Marcus doesn’t regret his decision to join the Ram Family.
“I’m not going back to school for anything else, this is it. Angelo State is helping me with my job for the rest of my life. I don’t get to redo this, so I’m glad I chose Angelo State.”
