Lasting Impressions | Summer 2016

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE x 47 and say, ‘Thank you, Teresa.’ That makes me feel so good. That’s my pay, my reward.” Peter Mai, vice president of the class of 2018 and a second-year CDM student, said that has been his experience with Marquez since the first day he met her to receive his dental instruments. “She has always greeted me with a warm smile in passing or when I had any questions about instruments or sterilization,” he said. “What I admire most about Teresa is her work ethic and her desire to really help the students.” For example, Mai said, Marquez recently made sure he and his fellow students got their instruments in time to set up for a lab, even though that meant getting them their cassettes before sterilization officially opened in the morning. “Her willingness to put others before herself is a testament to the kind of human being she is, no matter how big or small the act is,” Mai said. Those kind of actions have earned Marquez a nickname, said her coworker Amparo Velasco. “Some- times, the students call her Mother Teresa. She has a powerful talent for having patience and helping them,” she explained. “They come to us stressed sometimes, and she will go not just one mile, but so much farther for them. And they leave here smiling and thankful.” It has not always been an easy journey for Marquez. She was born in Ecuador and studied accounting there. With the unstable economic and political environment, however, she could not find work. At the age of 28, Marquez moved to the United States by herself. “It was very hard in the beginning when I came here. Now my daughter says, ‘You are a hero to me,’ ” Marquez said. A couple years after coming to the United States, Marquez met her husband, Mario. They have two children, Andrea, 22, and Brian, 15, and this year will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Brian is in high school and loves playing soccer. Andrea will be graduating from the University of Michigan this year and is currently ranked second in her class. It was her daughter’s need for dental services, when she was young, that first brought Marquez to NSU’s CDM. “There was something about it, and I said to my daughter, ‘It would be nice to work in a place like this,’ ” she said. Marquez even inquired about how to apply for a job, but it was not until six years later, when her son was going to kindergarten, that she actually went online and filled out the application. She got the job in the sterilization depart- ment and has devoted her time and effort to it ever since. “I’m always looking for ways to improve things and make it better for the students. I love coming up with ideas, and I like to save money, too,” she said. Abby Brodie, D.M.D., M.S., associate dean for aca- demic affairs, has known and worked with Marquez from the beginning. “We’ve both been here quite a while,” Brodie said. “What makes Teresa so special is that she really cares about having everything in place, and she really cares about the students. The students see that throughout the four years they are here. She doesn’t lose sight of the value of helping students.” In addition, Brodie said, Marquez is a pleasure to work with. “It’s not just her work, but how nice she is. She always has a smile on her face and a positive thing to say. What a wonderful commentary on the kind of person that has that kind of outlook on life. We’re very lucky to have her.” ◆ “What makes Teresa so special is that she really cares about having everything in place, and she really cares about the students.” —Abby Brodie, D.M.D., M.S.