Community Corner
Meet Jack Marden
He's Scotts Valley Rotary's youngest member, with beach cleanups, UCSC graduation and pursuing an environmental career on his agenda.
Jack Marden is a UC Santa Cruz senior who has a passion for hockey and the environment. He is also involved in the community as the youngest member of the Scotts Valley Rotary Club with a dedication to club environmental projects.
Scotts Valley Patch recently caught up with him to ask him a few questions.
Scotts Valley Patch: What is your occupation?
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Jack Marden: I work for fellow Rotarians Bob and Rob Slawinski at Slawinski Auction Company, where I’ve been employed for four years.
Patch: Where were you born?
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Marden: I was born in Hayward, California, but never lived there.
Patch: Where were you educated?
Marden: K-12 was spent between Fremont and Pleasanton in the East Bay. I spent my first year [in college] at Santa Barbara City College, the next four at Cabrillo, and the last two have been at UCSC where I’ll graduate this year.
Patch: What brought you to the area?
Marden: My family has been in the Monterey Bay area since I was 6. I have a great aunt who we trace back to the '30s, whose house was near the Dream Inn. I didn’t live here full time until after high school.
Patch: What is something you are known for?
Marden: I’m obsessed with hockey and the environment, two very different things.
Patch: What is your latest project?
Marden: I just finished my senior essay this month, but as far as Rotary goes, planning two beach cleanups by July is on my agenda. Also, the club will soon be sold-out of our environmentally friendly Chico Bags, so I'll start looking for sponsors for the next batch.
Patch: Book you last read?
Marden: Sabriel by Garth Nix, a fantasy book about a young girl who must follow in her father’s footsteps as the single force that binds the dead to the afterlife. I’m a total fantasy nerd.
Patch: Newspaper or magazine you read regularly?
Marden: I’m usually drawn to world politics and local stories, so I pick up articles as they catch my attention.
Patch: Movies you could watch again and again?
Marden: Miracle, Harry Potter, Star Wars.
Patch: Favorite things to do in your spare time?
Marden: Play hockey, spend time with my girlfriend, Kathryn, work on my compost and read.
Patch: What is one of your most gratifying accomplishments?
Marden: I’m very happy to have completed my senior essay and getting the best grades of my life while at UCSC.
Patch: What is your greatest indulgence?
Marden: I love chocolate. Keeping up with political issues and hockey news is a time-consuming hobby of mine as well.
Patch: One of your most memorable vacations?
Marden: One of the best was a surf trip with my dad to Costa Rica when I was 15. We barely saw any of the country aside from the ocean. We were lucky enough to surf a famous break at Witch’s Rock with a couple of world-famous surfers from the Endless Summer II surf film, Robert “Wingnut” Weaver and Robert August.
Patch: What is a goal you are chasing after?
Marden: I want to find a career that meets all of my ideals in an environmental organization where I can actually pay my expenses. I also will be deciding whether or not I should pursue grad school.
Patch: What do you like most about life in Scotts Valley?
Marden: My favorite thing about both Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz is the combination of natural features. We have amazing mountains, redwoods, the beach and caves— everything I love.