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K-State Today

Division of Communications and Marketing
Kansas State University
128 Dole Hall
1525 Mid-Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2535
vpcm@k-state.edu

November 12, 2020

American ethnic studies department awards Rohrer Scholarship to Marco Saucedo

Submitted by Alisa Wolfe

Marco Saucedo

The American ethnic studies department has awarded the Wayne C. Rohrer Scholarship to K-State senior Marco Antonio Saucedo.

The Rohrer Scholarship is awarded yearly to a student whose academic and career goals emphasize improving the understanding of racial and ethnic relations in the United States of America. Saucedo has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to improving race relations since his arrival at K-State.

"Because of my life experiences and education, I have sought to fight to create change in the world whether it is to change one life or a whole generation," Saucedo said. "I want to consistently lend a hand and be a person who can bring significant change to others. I have learned to understand myself in a manner in which I can listen carefully to others. For my future, I want to work in areas that fight for the common good of society and the underrepresented."

Saucedo's triple majors — American ethnic studies; gender, women and sexuality studies; and political science — are surely a strong preparation for his future social justice work in the legal profession. After graduating, Saucedo hopes to attend law school and focus on human rights, civil, or constitutional law. In addition to his future plans for a law degree, Saucedo engages in everyday life activities that make this a better world by lending a helping hand to those who feel as though there is no way out, especially because of depression and anxiety.

"I am consistently learning and talking with others around me so that I can be sensitive as well as informed concerning their needs," Saucedo said. "There are stigmas in this country that aid the inequalities and injustices that occur in everyday America."

Even before graduation, Saucedo has devoted himself to social justice causes. He has worked with an immigration law firm in Minneapolis. 

"I assisted clients with their pursuit of lawful status, regardless of their country of origin," Saucedo said. "I also joined the Presidential campaign of Pete Buttigieg working as a field organizer where I focused on communicating to communities that mostly knew English as a second language."

Saucedo is in part motivated by his own life experiences, his keen awareness of the hard life experience of so many. He was born and raised in the Vail Valley of Colorado.

"I am a first-generation gay Latino trailblazing a path for my entire family," Saucedo said. "Due to the disparities that have accompanied my place as a minority, I have made it an integral part of my persona to continuously learn of the disadvantages and advantages that we face in the United States. I enjoy education through which I can better understand the unequal racial and ethnic relations we witness in the U.S."

The American ethnic studies department congratulates Saucedo on his strong social justice commitments and receiving the Wayne C. Rohrer Scholarship.