Stephanie Marquez has found immense purpose in her career and how she can make a difference in her community.
As a Security Analyst as part of the SFPUC’s Emergency Planning and Security Team, Marquez supports the administration of the SFPUC’s security systems, maintenance of video recording and access control equipment, incident reporting and response, alarm monitoring, and security system troubleshooting. Over the past year she has also served as Deputy Logistics Chief at the SFPUC’s Department Operations Center (DOC), supporting disaster service worker (DSW) deployments, Continuity of Operations Plan, and prioritization for return to worksite. In her role at the SFPUC, Marquez has had the opportunity to grow and learn new skills relating to incident response by participating in the City’s COVID-19 response and recovery.
Marquez’s family is from Jalisco, Mexico and she is first generation Mexican American. She pursued college to provide new opportunities for her family, pave the way for future generation of Latinxs pursuing higher education, and ultimately give back to her predominantly Latinx community in the Mission District of San Francisco. As an undergraduate student, she studied Public Health where she learned about access to resources and the importance that it plays in improving the overall health of communities and addressing systemic issues of inequity. For this reason, Marquez pursued a professional career in the public sector.
“The work that City employees perform has direct consequences for the resources that residents receive, namely for the SFPUC, high quality, efficient and reliable water, power, and sewer services,” she shared. “I am honored to use my interests in data quality, information security, etc. to do my part in ensuring that an organization such as the SFPUC can continue to serve its mission in my community.”
Marquez has found it fortunate to live in a country that provides so much hope and opportunity to people from all over the world. “But it is also important to recognize the tremendous value that culture brings, and highlight the reality that together we make this country great and we deserve to be celebrated and appreciated,” she further explained. “Hispanic Heritage Month is particularly special to me as a first generation Mexican American as a way to express gratitude to my ancestors and my roots. It is a special time for my community to have our contributions to society recognized, and to continue to stand strong in the promise we make daily to create a brighter future.”
Marquez shared she is most proud of how hardworking Latino people are. She explained that the Latinx community is stronger because of their togetherness and strength. “We are nothing without each other, and each one of us forms a part of a majestic ladder which we continue to build upon to help our people reach new and greater heights. The values that future generations inherit are those of dreamers, of our ancestors that built a future for us despite having nothing,” she said. “The stories passed down carry valuable lessons that inspire us to continue learning, dreaming, and giving back to our community and the generations that succeed us. Not only are we lucky to have blood of warriors and scholars running through our veins, but we also carry within us a relentless drive and desire to uplift one another and never forget where we come from.”
In further reflection of this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month’s theme, Marquez concluded it is especially beautiful to her, not only for this year but for the last decade and also in looking at what lies ahead. The Latinx community is stronger together because we are perpetual believers that we need to lean on one another to continue to grow. We are proud not only of our own successes but of those in the name of our lineage. During this long and hard road of covid-19, our community was and continues to be severely impacted. In times like these, it is critical to see the strength in our community and use it to influence the good in each other on our journey to the other side of this pandemic.
“Our country is suffering greatly. Amidst the pandemic, inequality, political instability and civil unrest, we are all hurting. Being surrounded by so much negativity, it is critical we never lose hope in the future and in the generations of youth that will lead us into a brighter tomorrow,” she said. “There is so much that we do not have control over, yet with hope we can come together and combine our strengths for unity and peace.”
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