From trombone to track and field

As a child, Miguelangel Garcia Marquez '25 spent his evenings learning all he could about music at the Casa de le Cultura Pedro Antonio Rios Reyna—a culture house in his hometown of San Juan de Colon, Venezuela. Inspired as a young boy by a performance of Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Garcia Marquez fell in love with brass and dedicated himself to learning the trombone. Just a few years later, he successfully auditioned for the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, selected as one of six trombone players among a pool of 5,000 applicants—a staggering feat for a seventeen-year-old.

When Venezuela's turbulent political climate caused the National Youth Orchestra to shut down, Garcia Marquez turned to busking to support himself, hitchhiking to the neighboring country of Colombia each day to keep food on the table. During the COVID-19 pandemic, even this became impossible. Resourceful, Garcia Marquez created a recording studio in his home, working with local musicians and gaining diverse musical influences. He was also politically involved, hosting a radio show where he and his peers discussed controversial socio-cultural issues.

Garcia Marquez learned about the Lynn University Conservatory of Music from his peers in the United States. The college offered everything he hoped for in a music program—rigorous training, private lessons, performance opportunities and orchestra—including full tuition scholarships. When the time came to audition, Garcia Marquez was forced to audition online with backup batteries in his Wi-Fi router due to an unfortunate power outage in his hometown. Nevertheless, he persevered and was ultimately accepted into Lynn’s highly selective program. 

"I remember when I got the email from Mr. Satterwhite—it said, 'he had discussed with faculty, and that they would love to have me in the studio, and offer a full tuition scholarship.' I turned pale," said Garcia Marquez. "It was a dream come true."

Garcia Marquez brought a passion and creativity to the Conservatory of Music that extended beyond classical music. He surpassed his degree requirements, composing, exploring new genres and becoming involved in the community. In addition to his trombone studies, he joined Professor Thomas McKinley's compositional studio to pursue his interest in film scoring. 

The young musician's engagement soon paid off, leading to collaborations with Jon Robertson, dean of the conservatory and the Lynn University Philharmonia. Garcia Marquez's music has been featured on numerous Lynn Conservatory of Music New Music Festivals, and his orchestral work, Saggitarius A*, was premiered by the Lynn Philharmonia in 2025. He arranged works for two annual Boca West concerts and three Gingerbread Holiday Concerts. In addition, Garcia Marquez arranged music for Lynn President Kevin M. Ross and his band, Wolfhawk, during the institution's 2025 Celebration of the Arts.

In 2022, Garcia Marquez met bassist Julian Rauh '26 and percussionist Jerry Grace '25 while working on a musical. The three began to have jazz "jam sessions," working to diversify their musical avenues. In 2023, Garcia Marquez traced the unfamiliar sound of jazz piano through the conservatory to a new freshman—Aidan Quintana '27—and asked him to join their pursuit. That fall, the four formed Boca Train Jazz and have since taken the South Florida community by storm. In high demand across the community, the group has performed a multitude of freelance work, released two albums with two more on the way and has been personally invited by Dean Robertson to perform in outreach, Boca West and multiple Gingerbread concerts.

Garcia Marquez met track athlete Brooke Garcia '23, '24—then Brooke Mullins—in Mary's Kitchen after one of her practices. He struck up a conversation with her over a unique peanut butter, honey and banana toast sandwich. That encounter led to a friendship, and soon, a long-lasting relationship.

Brooke Garcia, a Florida native, had always been extremely athletic, trying out numerous sports before finally discovering a passion for running in middle school. She excelled at the sport, and coaches saw her potential, pushing her to continue. Garcia flourished in high school, where she qualified four times for state championships in cross country and twice for track. In addition to running, Garcia graduated high school already holding her associate degree. Her tireless dedication and success led to a generous scholarship offer from Lynn, where she signed in 2021, excited to grow both academically and as a collegiate athlete.

Garcia was highly driven at Lynn, consistently pushing past her limits to set personal records and compete. She continued training intensely but said she struggled mentally after her first year. However, her perseverance helped her overcome those challenges, and she returned stronger, surpassing her personal records. "Running is really about overcoming yourself, and that is my greatest accomplishment," said Garcia. "Breaking barriers and persevering through tough times."

Garcia received most valuable player (MVP) honors for cross country in 2021. In 2023, she received the Lynn Athletics Award and earned MVP honors for cross country once again. She graduated Lynn with times of 22:38 for her 6k, 4:49 for 1500m, and 11:15 for 3k steeple.

Garcia claims that Assistant Cross Country and Track Coach Jonathan Kigel was instrumental to her success as an athlete. "He cared about people on the team as more than just athletes." 

Brooke Garcia earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in financial valuations and investment management at Lynn, graduating at the age of 19 and 20, respectively. Miguelangel Garcia Marquez earned his Bachelor of Music in trombone performance in 2025 and is in the process of completing his master's in composition by 2027. The couple was engaged in the summer and married in September 2023, continually working toward their shared goals.

The two are in the process of saving for a house and also hope to visit the Czech Republic for their honeymoon in the near future.

Their advice to Lynn students? "Stay humble, be kind, and respect each other. The rest will come naturally."