Marc's projects include excelling in academics

People often mistake Marc Rivera for a different person.

The senior at Doane Stuart School in Albany has accumulated many academic honors during his four years at the school. These honors include earning a maxima cum laude on the National Latin Exam, being a finalist in the New York State Young Playwrights competition, and being a named a commended student by the National Achievement Program for Black Americans.

"A lot of people confuse me for someone I'm not," Marc said. "I went to a party, and I was the only guy who danced. People were surprised I could dance. They thought I always had my nose in the books."

Pots and shots
Those people who think of Marc as just a student might be interested to know that he has also earned an NBA Sportsmanship Award and has served as a pottery studio assistant.

This renaissance teen plans on studying political science next year at Harvard, Cornell, Georgetown or Duke. When he goes off to college, he'll have a lot of people pulling for him back home.

His cheering section includes his family, the Doane Stuart School community and the staff of The Ark. The Ark is an arts and education program that serves approximately 150 children living in the Taylor Apartments, a housing project in Troy. Marc attended the program and now serves as a volunteer there.

Help from home
Marc was able to attend Doane Stuart with the support of The Ark. The Ark recommended him to Doane Stuart and helped the school raise money to cover his tuition expenses.

"Marc is part of a community of scholars here focused on education," said Jay Murnane, co-founder of The Ark. "He always said he didn't want to get lost [in a larger school.]"

Marc said he had looked for schools all around the area and as far away as Williamstown, Mass., but chose Doane Stuart. "I visited and I liked it," he said of Doane Stuart. "The student body is really dynamic."

Mr. Murnane said The Ark community is pleased with Marc's success. "We couldn't be more grateful," he said. "He's done wonderful things. He's a good role model for the younger kids."

Top kid
Being from a housing project has not been an obstacle for Marc. "I've never felt intimidated about being in an upper-class school," he said. "You can be yourself with commoners or kings. It's not a problem fitting in."

Mr. Murnane described Marc as "a bright, self-contained, highly motivated individual. Marc has a lot of initiative, strength, courage and joy. He's a rich kid."

Marc's only problem adjusting to the school came freshman year, a problem many of his classmates shared. "You get involved in so much it's an uphill battle [to get homework done.] Everyone is involved in eight or nine activities," he said.

Involved
Besides academics, sports and art, Marc's activities include serving on the yearbook staff, writing a column for the student newspaper and serving on the Mock Trial team. He has also had a book of poetry published by The Ark and edited an internet magazine.

If he had to choose just one activity, Marc said it would be a hard choice. "It would be a toss up between playing basketball and the Mock Trial competition," he said. "In basketball, you use physical strength. In mock trial, you have to think on your feet and strategize."

Marc balances those activities with his challenging academic load. He is currently taking advanced placement Shakespeare, American Government and Spanish, as well as pre-calculus, short works in modern literature, humor and satire, art, and photography. Spanish is his third language. He learned French in elementary school and took Latin through his sophomore year. "I always liked learning languages," he said.

Faith and learning
He said his favorite subjects are the social science. He enjoys history, government, and economics. He has also enjoyed the religion classes taught at the school.

"I liked the way it was taught," he said. "You can use it for a lot of reasons. You can enlighten yourself if you choose to do so."

While Marc has support from the Doane Stuart community and The Ark, his biggest support can be found on the home front. Said Mr. Murnane, "Marc has a lot of family support."

"My mother has been my biggest influence," the teen said. "She's a single parent who works all day. She's the backbone of our family."

More to come
After college and law school, Marc said he'd consider coming back to the Capital District. "I think I'll come back," he said. "I like the Capital District. There's a lot of history, especially in downtown Troy."

While he's looking forward to attending college, he has strong feelings for his high school.

"There is a certain part of myself that I've left at Doane Stuart," he said. "I hope they remember my sense of humor. I hope they remember me as a nice guy. I hope that will be my legacy."

(04-09-98) [[In-content Ad]]