Burnt Orange Report

I Am Marcus

By Marcus Ceniceros

Hey friends, this is Marcus Ceniceros. I am proud to be one of the five new additions to Burnt Orange Report. Born in San Antonio, raised in El Paso, and now at school in Austin, I have seen Texas from many different perspectives and look forward to sharing my thoughts on government and politics with you.

When I arrived at UT two years ago, all of my community activities revolved around service projects. Growing up, I never really identified myself with a party, nor did I follow politics as much as some of the other writers here have. I have always admired government and know that without good, rational, unprejudiced public policy the people who need and deserve the most help will never receive it.

I joined University Democrats my freshman year and became very involved in the UT and Austin community. At the end of the year, I was elected president of the oldest, most respected political organization on campus. (I still get chills to know that great public servants like Lloyd Bentsen, Bruce Elfant, and of course, Byron LaMasters are past presidents.)

My time as president was amazing. Our members cared so much about our causes, worked hard to register over 7,000 voters, came together to host an amazing forum with Senator John Kerry, strengthened the UDems legacy on campus, and most importantly became friends that stood up for each other’s rights, just like our lawmakers should. One of my proudest moments was when we were named UT’s “Most Outstanding Student Organization” in front of thousands of people at Texas Revue.

Throughout these two years I have turned to Burnt Orange for important information about our community. I hope to help continue these conversations with all of you and inspire more people to become involved. Y espero que pueda alentar a personas que no han sido implicadas en la política previamente. (I hope to inspire people who have not been previously involved in politics.)

Please let me know if you ever need anything. Best-