Marcos Gomez-Corona is a first-generation college student and in his first year of the CU Anschutz Physical Therapy program. Marcos was originally working at a corporate bank when he realized he wanted to change careers. Marcos thought about his experience training at an MMA gym and became curious about injury prevention. To explore his curiosity, Marcos was an intern at an outpatient clinic. Throughout this experience, Marcos saw the positive impact physical therapy has on patients and knew this is a career he wanted to pursue.

Community involvement is a passion of Marcos’ and he pursues that passion with the help of the CU PT Program. Marcos is an active volunteer with the DAWN Clinic, he volunteers as a Spanish interpreter to help his community access healthcare. Marcos looks forward to volunteering as a student Physical Therapist at the DAWN Clinic to continue serving his community.

When reflecting on Hispanic Heritage Month, Marcos thinks about what it means to be Mexican. “Being Mexican to me means working hard, being honest, and putting family before anything else,” he says. These values were instilled in him at a young age by his mother, who left everything behind in Mexico to give her children a better life. Marcos is thankful for his mother, “She never complained and always put us before herself… I think about all the sacrifices my mother has made for me.”

Marcos is the Community Outreach representative for the CU PT Class of 2025 and is looking forward to working with students of color to pursue careers in healthcare. As a first-generation student, he hopes to continue uplifting others in similar situations, “You can be the first person in your family and community to make a change and break the cycle that may seem impossible to escape… At times you will encounter obstacles that others don’t have to face but don’t compare yourself to others, focus on being the best version of yourself,” he says.