By// Raven Craig
At 23-years-old, Marquis Alexander is the first African-American commander of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets. The student military organization, which was created when the school was founded in 1876, has more than 2,200 members.
After two years of active duty in the Marine Corps, Alexander decided to go back to school, a decision that eventually led him to making history at the university. Despite his accomplishments, he remains humble and desires to be a source of inspiration for others. He tells KHOU, “The way I look at it, it’s a platform… If I did it, you can do it as well.”
Alexander’s military experience has come in handy with his new position. One of his students Luc L’Ecuyer says, “Lessons [Alexander] has learned, things he’s seen from officers in the military— he’s actually taken away a lot of good lessons and applied them here. And he has a better perspective of how things work in the real world.”
Alexander wants success for his students, and says, “I feel like I’m a proud parent because I feel like I have 2,200 kids, I mean, young adults.”
He is immensely optimistic about breaking down barriers. “I may be the first African-American, it hasn’t been done before,” Alexander tells KHOU. “Well, now we need the first Chinese-American, first female, first Indian-American.”
