As the player gets the first touch on the ball, he is composed and calm. He sees an opponent player rushing toward him, and he sees a perfect pass to his forward who could outrun the defender. With power and great aim, the player gives a dazzling pass to his forward, and once he gets the touch, he zooms. He passes two defenders, and all he has is the goalkeeper. He collects himself before the goalie, and bang, the shot goes in. GOAL! The forward goes to celebrate, but there is one person he wants to celebrate with. You might be wondering who gave him the assist that got their team a goal. That player is Luis Marquez-Sedano! Come with me as we see how coming to Dowling has impacted his faith, but also his identity.

Marquez-Sedano was born on June 13th, 2007 in Des Moines, Iowa to his parents Higinio Marquez and Luz Sedano. He has a younger sister named Evelyn and an older sister named Lizbeth.

Marquez-Sedano started his education at Riverwoods Elementary and went to Weeks Middle School. He spent the first two years of high school at East High School and then moved to Dowling in his junior year. Going through the public school system, he felt he had to act a certain way with classmates. He stated that some people can be mean and rude, while others can be respectful. Marqueuz-Sedano loved growing up with different perspectives and getting exposed to different walks of life.  

What drew him to come to Dowling during his junior year was the soccer program. Marquez-Sedano felt that he had made more friends during his time here than at East High School. He loves challenging himself academically and loves the community aspect that Dowling offers. His debut season during his junior year, he won Defensive MVP and Newcomer MVP. Some teachers who have made an impact on Marquez-Sedano are Mr. Carey and Mrs. McGrath. Marquez-Sedano loved the way Mr. Carey is funny, caring, and wants to see you succeed in his class and beyond. He always appreciates how Mr. Carey is hardworking and passionate he is about his work as well. Another teacher who has impacted Marquez-Sedano is Mrs. McGrath. She was the first teacher to talk to and inspired him to read more. One of his favorite books is “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover, who is his favorite author as well. 

Marquez-Sedano’s future plans are to attend Wisconsin-Eau Claire to play soccer and study actuarial science, which uses mathematical concepts to calculate risk. Initially, growing up, he wanted to attend ISU because he loved their STEM program, but what drew him away was the university not having a soccer program. Eventually, after a regional tournament with his club team, Wisconsin Eau-Claire saw him play and texted him afterwards. Marquez-Sedano is uncertain about his career but thinks actuarial science and soccer will remain a part of his life. 

Here are some fun facts about Marquez-Sedano! Here we go!

• Loves to garden
• Has a cat named Mateo and has ten chickens
• Likes golfing and reading
• Favorite movie is 500 Days of Summer
• Favorite soccer player is bald Wayne Rooney
• Favorite team is Barcelona
• Used to have an eyebrow piercing
• Likes riding motorcycles

Though going through a public school system, his faith has been strong from a young age. He has always attended church every Sunday because his mom made him come. Recently, he got confirmed at Christ the King this past year, and has enjoyed going to mass and following his faith on his own as well. He was blessed with the chance to go to Kairos, which was an eye-opening and great experience. He made new friends and grew closer to his faith as a result of attending Kairos. Initially, he didn’t think he was going to Kairos, but his friends convinced him, and he hasn’t regretted it since then. Marquez-Sedano attends Christ the King church on the south side and enjoys going to mass.

If I am going to talk about Marquez-Sedano, then I must talk about soccer! He has been playing since the age of 6 and plays center back. He has played for multiple clubs and teams, along with traveling around the country for tournaments. He was part of Iowa’s successful club team, which was undefeated and triumphant. Last year, he was on the varsity team and did good things such as conceding the least amount of goals with his fellow defenders. That year, their record was 19-3, and they were a team to be messed with. They eventually made it to the state championship but lost to Johnston. Marquez-Sedano stated that losing motivated him to do better because it wasn’t his best game, and he felt he disappointed a packed stadium cheering Dowling on. Currently, the varsity team is going well, but Marquez-Sedano is playing out of position as a central defensive midfielder. He loves the team chemistry and the energy the lower-classmen bring.  His goals are to win the state title with the team and leave high school as state champions. 

“Don’t take any moment for granted.” That is his advice for the readers. His reasoning behind this is that life goes fast, and you must slow down and take everything in. Marquez-Sedano still remembers his freshman year and how he has grown since then. “Appreciate the people you met.” He wants you to know that every person you come across, respects and recognizes them for who they are, regardless of how long you have known them. 

Friendship is important to everyone, but to Marquez-Sedano, he has met some special people. Being a social guy, he takes a lot of influence from his friendship, but he loves his varsity soccer team a lot. They have made him feel included and not an outsider when he first came to Dowling. The team has strived to become happier people and do new experiences such as Kairos. Two people he has befriended closely are Jonathan Mendez and John Foth. He has known Mendez for a while, but coming to Dowling has solidified their friendship. Foth got close to Marquez-Sedano in a short amount of time, especially during the wonder season of their junior year. 

“Sonder,” which is the feeling one has in realizing that every other individual one sees has a life as full and real as one’s own, was his final remark to conclude this article. He wants everyone to know that each person has their strengths and weaknesses, happiness, but we must respectfully treat them. Treat people in a way that you don’t know their struggles, and treat them nicely. Someone could have a bad day, but treating them with kindness goes a long way.

Marquez-Sedano is a nice, kind-mannered person who knows how to make people feel welcomed and included. Also, make sure to watch out on the soccer pitch as he makes tackles or even beautiful assists.