In Memoriam: Marco Fagoada

Marco Fagoada was born in San Benito, Usulutan, El Salvador to a hard working father and mother on March 13, 1982, and the family moved to Pomona, California in 1985. He was extremely passionate about family, volunteering, music, and education. His grandmother, a loving hard working woman, was very close to Fagoada, and taught him life lessons about having knowledge of where you come from to know where you want to go in life. This left a lasting impression on Fagoada that he carried with him into adulthood.

A graduate of Garey High School and a 2011 graduate of Cal Poly Tech in Pomona, CA, Fagoada discovered his passion that went along with education; he discovered the love he had to volunteer with migrant populations from Latin America.

Through his work, Marco realized how to combine his passions into helping people in his community. In the fall of 2011 he joined the graduate program in Latin American Studies with the desire to study the significance of traditional and contemporary music on migrant populations from Mexico and Central America. Through this program, his passion for education, music, and volunteering would unite to help him help others in the San Diego community.

During his graduate studies at San Diego State University (SDSU), Marco volunteered with La Familia Indigena Unida, a non-profit organization that works with the indigenous Mixtec community from Oaxaca, Mexico. At Familia Indigena Unida, he provided support for the children and shared his love of music. Marco also served as secretary in the Latin American Studies Student Organization (LASSSO). He was an optimistic individual who shared his time, smile, and energy to all the students in his program at SDSU while being the primary support for his grandmother. He became a beloved graduate student at SDSU.

Aside from a successful educational career, Marco remained passionate about his family and music. He spent a lot of time with his family and his band. He was extremely loved and a role model to the young members in his family. Marco shared valuable advice, knowledge, and enthusiasm. His family remembers him as an individual with an adventurous attitude, drive, optimism, and full of dreams. He was a wonderful mentor, a motivator, and extremely inspiring. He taught his family members to work hard and to conquer dreams because to Marco there was never a barrier too big to overcome. In his last poem recorded he said, “I will put away my sorrows and embrace the day, and thank God I have a dream to follow.”

Marco will always be remembered for his commitment to his family and for his passion for music, education, and volunteering. He was a beloved individual that touched lives with a beautiful smile.

Marco's family and friends are in the process of creating a Marco Fagoada Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will help fund other passionate and driven students in their studies. In the interim, the following is available for donations until the Scholarship Fund is ready.

Donations:

The Marco Fagoada Memorial Scholarship is a newly formed non-profit organization that is working to raise funds for a scholarship in memory of Marco Fagoada. Marco was passionate about his community, education, music, and family. Our organization is dedicated to keep his passion alive, but we need your help in order to support the education of other first generation youths. If you would like to make a donation to this important cause, visit the scholarship website at http://mdmauris.wix.com/marcofagoadamemorial or contact (909) 367-4301 for more information.

Learn more about the Marco Fagoada Memorial Scholarship