Robin Marquez ’26 graduated from the University of Central Florida with a biology degree and has been recognized with several honors, including the 2025 Alate Award from the Entomological Society of America, the Order of Pegasus, and a nomination through Valencia College for a Goldwater Scholarship. He collaborated with researchers at Yale University and the Smithsonian Institution and was the only undergraduate to receive the Alate Award in 2025. After completing leaf‑litter sampling during a summer 2024 internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, he moved to the Twin Cities to pursue a Ph.D. in entomology.
Marquez began his post‑secondary education at the University of South Florida in 2013 on a full scholarship but left after 16 months with a low GPA and mental‑health challenges. He later earned multiple plant‑science certifications and a 4.0 GPA at Valencia College, transferred to UCF through the DirectConnect program in January 2024, and participated in the McNair Scholars Program. He has collected arthropod samples from the UCF Arboretum, taken part in bug‑closet bioblitz events, and is preparing for a new semester at the University of Minnesota while keeping supplies for travel and winter weather.
Press release issued by UCF Today:
https://www.ucf.edu/news/transfer-student-first-generation-graduate-proves-its-never-too-late-to-aim-high/
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