Alexis Marquez. Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — Sociology major Alexis Marquez, 21, was called to act when she learned that one in four students in the 23-campus CSU system may be going hungry.
Her community service project heading a student-run food pantry on the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) campus has earned her a place in the first class of Principal Community Scholars, a pilot program designed to encourage student leadership in meeting community needs.
A year-long study released in 2016 by the California State University found that 24 percent of the system’s 460,000 were “food insecure,” which means they don’t always know where their next meal is coming from.
To help alleviate the problem on the CSUCI campus, students opened a food pantry where their peers could visit and select five items.
“We have about 15 visits a day from students,” Marquez said. “We have snacks, toiletries, and sometimes fruit. We don’t have a refrigerator so it’s non-perishable items.”
Always passionate about community service, Marquez was quick to offer to head the pantry and coordinate the student volunteers.
“When I first interviewed Alexis for the position of Food Pantry Ambassador, she expressed not only her strong commitment to the community but her desire to give back to the community — in this case, the campus community,” said Pilar Pacheco, Managing Director of the Center for Community Engagement. “It was clear then that she had the enthusiasm, drive and motivation to help create the pantry. That is how Alexis approaches every goal she has — with a desire and determination to make it happen.”
Community involvement has been a part of Marquez’s life for as long as she can remember. Her father immigrated to Oxnard to work in the fields, then moved the family to Los Angeles where Marquez became active in school extracurricular activities.
In high school, she tutored children; joined the Kiwanis; participated in city elections; and helped feed the homeless in downtown Los Angeles.
Marquez joined her church youth group and traveled to Mexico to bring gifts and holiday meals to children in orphanages. When she became the first in her family to attend college, she excelled.
At CSUCI, she was accepted into the prestigious CI Corps program, a community service student leadership program. She also serves in a dual role as a Community Engagement/Food Pantry ambassador to her fellow students.
“Volunteering has contributed greatly to my learning and life perspective, a raw and transformational feeling, one I could not experience by reading a textbook or watching a documentary,” Marquez said.
Twenty recipients from Iowa and California were chosen by Principal Financial Group, Iowa Campus Compact and California Campus Compact after being nominated by faculty or staff from their college or university and a rigorous review process.
Principal Community Scholars will earn a $1,000 scholarship upon completion of their community service project.
“Alexis has clearly demonstrated her commitment to service through her role as Food Pantry Ambassador,” said Elaine K. Ikeda, Ph.D., executive director of California Campus Compact. “We applaud her leadership in the CSUCI Corps program and we are excited to assist her in connecting her passions to her career goals through the Principal Community Scholars Program.”
About California State University Channel Islands: CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CSUCI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CSUCI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CSUCI’s Social Media.