Biography

Gaudencio Marquez

Site Coordinator, Diplomas Now
Communities In Schools Los Angeles West

Gaudencio Marquez was born and raised in the Coachella Valley. As the first in his family to attend a 4 year University he began his academic career at the University of California, Irvine and later transferred and obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Social Work from California State University San Bernardino. Soon after he obtained his Masters of Social Work from California State University Long Beach with an emphasis on Children, youth and families.

His initial career path was to be an educator and even though his heart is in the world of education, he soon came to realize that he wanted to work with youth in a more holistic manner. It was as a school social worker that he would be able to do just that. Soon after graduation he began his career as a Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor at Crenshaw High School but was cut short due to budget cuts. He was fortunate however to find Communities In Schools (CIS) where he currently serves as a CIS site coordinator working in collaboration with City Year Los Angeles and John Hopkins University under the Diplomas Now (DN) pilot program. It is this program that has allowed him to fully practice his social work skills and proactively work in supporting children and their families. This program works in a preventative manner where students are targeted prior to falling behind in an attempt to increase their potential and likeliness to graduate high school.

At John Liechty Middle School, Gaudencio runs anger management groups, motivational groups as well as 1-on-1 meetings with students and their families. He works with community agencies in establishing positive working relationships to facilitate the referral process for students and their families. In addition, constant communication and collaboration occurs not only with collaborating partners under DN but more importantly with school staff in an effort to fully support student?s and their families.

 

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