Grace Marquez: Engineering a Future at Duke

Grace Marquez: Engineering a Future at Duke

When you have six siblings, finding alone time can be a challenge.

Grace Marquez transformed her need for time by herself into a love of gardening. During the pandemic when everyone was home, she sought refuge in her backyard.

“It was a good way for me to have my own, personal time because no one wanted to go outside when it was really hot. But I didn’t mind, so I would garden in the backyard,” said the incoming first-year from Irving, Texas.

When she returned to high school, Marquez started a community garden at the middle school she once attended to honor her younger brother’s classmate who died during the pandemic.

Having spent her life in Irving, Marquez admits she never heard of Duke until last summer. That’s when she was doing research at UT Southwestern Medical Center. One of her mentors did his graduate studies at Duke and raved about his experiences.

While deciding where to apply, Marquez created a spreadsheet with all the qualities she was looking for in a university. “Duke always came up number one,” she said.

Although she still enjoys gardening, Marquez also has a penchant for engineering, something she got from her older sister. The two joined SkillsUSA while they were in high school, and together they participated in an engineering competition.

She also was a member of her high school’s student council, the National Technical Honor Society and the Psychology Club, and was homecoming queen.

Marquez’s interests vary and she hasn’t nailed down what she wants to major in, though biomedical engineering is on her list. She’s also into design and can see herself doing something in liberal arts.

“I'm testing engineering out and seeing how I like it and then I’ll switch if I’m not in love with it, but we’ll see,” she says.