Raquel "Rocky" Marquez

Raquel “Rocky” Marquez has come full circle with America SCORES. She joined the program as a third grader at Cobb Elementary in San Francisco. In high school, stuck at home during the pandemic, she strapped on her cleats to play with a SCORES IFC team. By 2022, she was ready to work for SCORES, starting with a summer camp job, followed by a school-year position coaching at multiple elementary schools: Cobb, Bessie Carmichael, Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA), Paul Revere, and Mission Education Center, a transitional school for newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrant students. This summer, she’s back at SCORES summer camp at John Muir Elementary and the free all-girls Selecta camp at the James P. Lang soccer fields and Garfield Square Park. 

We talked to Rocky about her journey with SCORES, growing up in multiple neighborhoods, and the enduring importance of family, community, and connection. We also talked about what she’s learned from coaching girls, a focus in her work with SCORES. Below are excerpts of our longer conversation. 

You moved around a lot as a kid. How did that shape you? 

Growing up, I had two separate households, and I moved around a lot. I’m one of five kids – I’ve got two sisters and two brothers. The entire time I went to school in San Francisco, and I’m glad I did because I stayed with the community and got to see familiar faces all the time. We lived in Daly City, Colma, Alameda, Oakland, Potrero Hill, a homeless shelter for a bit, then back to different spots in Alameda and Oakland, and finally our last stop, Treasure Island. I started at Tenderloin Community and then transferred to Cobb for elementary school; went to MLK for middle school; and Burton and Downtown for high school.

Moving around to so many places, I’ve seen so many people. And I’ve learned from my family, especially my Mom. She’s Peruvian, and she’s always been a people person, always saying “Hi” to the neighbors, and always very welcoming. I’ve picked that trait up from her. She’s one of my favorite people. My Grandma’s like that too. She’s always trying to talk to somebody – the operator, or the person sitting next to her. She’s welcoming too, always saying hello and being very polite. 

How did you get yourself between all those places? 

All through that time, I rode the bus, and I still ride the bus.  It took me three buses to get to my middle school from our home on Treasure Island. But I’ve never minded a commute. My little brother was always good with bus routes. He knew all the buses and where they went.  I just knew where I was going and how to get there.

Recently I've been seeing more of my SCORES students on the bus. I see them on my way to work or when I’m leaving my job. It’s summer, so they’ve got more field trips.  During the school year, I was coaching at five different schools in two different regions, I would go to SCORES Game Days on Saturdays whenever I could. And sometimes I’d see a whole bunch of students I recognized just from just being on the bus or in different areas of the city. Students would recognize me too – it was awesome! I’d think, “Where can I go where I’m not recognized? (laughing). So yeah, it was good. 

Working with girls has become a focus for you at SCORES. Can you talk about your experience? 

The girls get so excited to see a female coach. I understand that because I was once in their position. I was one of the only girls that would play with the boys on the playground when I was in elementary school at Cobb. With a female coach, you have a safe sanctuary where girls can play, have fun, and be themselves in their own element. That’s how I felt when I was playing soccer – I just felt free, like I had the freedom to kick the ball whenever and however. 

Last summer, when I rejoined SCORES, I started working with program director Amber Bugarin Astillero. I knew her before that as a coach when I was playing on an IFC team. Amber has been leading an effort to involve more girls through camps and girls-only teams. I’ve been so excited to work with her to show more kids the culture of SCORES and the fun of playing the game.

Being on a SCORES team boosts their confidence not only on the field and also in the classroom and social situations. The poetry we do is part of that. For example, during the year we prepare for poetry presentations and work with poetry journals. Through what the kids write in their journals, we build up a conversation about what’s important to us, how that affects others, and how that affects ourselves. Because what we share with the world and that energy is what we’re going to get back. 

Tell me a story that reveals something about the way you approach life.

I tell this story to my SCORES kids. Freshman year of high school I broke my leg. I couldn’t play soccer that year or the next, because I was recovering and doing physical therapy. Then my junior year, Covid hit. By senior year, we were still all at home, but I was able to join an IFC team to play. I tell them this: there are always more opportunities, even if you don’t see them there. You live in learning. You also have to build your own growth and realize success may not come right away – it can be a struggle. It’s not fair. Life is not fair. It’s never going to be perfect, but you have to learn how to make the very best of it. But we’re in this together, and in a lot of ways, we’re all working toward similar goals. 

What’s something you really like to do that might surprise people?   

I love to cook! Especially for other people. My Dad is a chef. He’s Mexican and a little old school. He always embedded in me the importance of cooking for your family and for yourself. I used to rebel a bit against that, but now I really like cooking for my partner and for my family. I just made a really good pesto. And I love that my Dad can still teach me new things. There are times when I’ll be cooking something for my boyfriend and I’ll need to call my Dad to make sure I got the ingredients right. I’m so fortunate that he’s there for me in many ways. 

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