From a small-town athlete with big-league ambitions to a decorated Navy air traffic controller, Marcelino "Marc" Vega's journey has been anything but predictable. A chance encounter with love shortly after graduating college shifted his course, steering him away from a future in a sports agency and toward his calling to service and sacrifice. Balancing a high-pressure career, a growing family, and an unwavering drive to give back, Vega has proven that the greatest victories aren't always won on the playing field—but rather, learned from the choices we make when life calls us to step up to the plate.
From an early age, Vega's world revolved around athletics. Raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, he grew up as Marc Riddell, taking his stepfather's last name until he married. In the Riddell household, competition was second nature. His father coordinated high school sports events, while his mother trained cross-country runners, creating an environment where athleticism and drive were always in the air.
Whether he was rounding the bases, chasing down a fly ball, or sprinting toward the end zone, Vega lived and breathed competition. "Sports are a big part of who I am," he said. Combined with academics, his passion for athletics left him little time for a social life. Upon graduating from high school, he started at Texas Tech University in Lubbock but transferred to ENMU after his freshman year in pursuit of a more personal experience.
"Coming from a small high school, [with] 40 people in our graduating class to 200 students in my first lectures at Texas Tech, was a giant culture shock," Vega said. "At Tech, you could go to class the whole semester and never talk to your teacher, but at Eastern, you know your teachers and interact directly with them daily. Going to Eastern ended up being much better for me; it was much more personable."
For Vega, it wasn’t a matter of abandoning his dreams—it was about reshaping them into something that fit the life he wanted to build…
Even when injuries threatened to sideline him, Vega stayed involved with his athletic commitments. His coaches, recognizing his determination, gave him managerial roles that allowed Vega to remain connected to the team even when he was injured. "I was still doing things day-to-day," he said. "I would go to class, work, the training room, and then still go to practices to help wherever I could." Even when he wasn't actively playing, Vega remained integral to the team, learning valuable skills that would unknowingly prepare him for the next chapter of his life.
During an injury-prone track season, Vega took on logistical responsibilities, learning the behind-the-scenes intricacies of running a team. This experience later influenced his aspirations. He realized success in athletics wasn't just about physical ability but also about strategy and leadership. It was during this time that Vega connected with the Kappa Sigma fraternity through Alex Torres, the president of the ENMU chapter. Torres, who was on the track team, invited Vega to the fraternity house, where he found a sense of belonging.
Joining Kappa Sigma marked a turning point for Vega, where the solitary pursuit of personal achievement gave way to a deeper call to that of brotherhood and shared purpose. While he didn't dive headfirst into fraternity life, the connections he made planted seeds for his understanding that true strength lies not just in individual success but in belonging to something greater.
When Vega met ENMU Kappa Sigma alum Kevin Kaplan, founder and CEO of Coaching Charities, it solidified his interest in the sports industry, a career path he had been considering. "I have friends in the professional athletic world; I wanted to represent them and people like them, to ensure they're taken care of," he said. Vega hoped to bring a new level of ethics to the field he felt needed a stronger sense of moral and ethical structure, advocating for players both on and off the field.
Vega's post-college path seemed set until he met the love of his life. After graduating from ENMU in 2019, Vega moved to Post, Texas, where he met the woman who would become his wife. Suddenly, the reality constant travel as a sports agent lost its appeal. The idea of missing out on important moments with his growing family made him reconsider everything.
For Vega, it wasn't a matter of abandoning his dreams—it was about reshaping them into something that fit the life he wanted to build, not just for himself, but for his family. As he and his wife talked through their future, another path emerged—one that would offer stability, purpose, and a way to serve. Vega realized a career in the military would grant him the necessary security and flexibility to start a family.
"Originally, I was going to join [the military] to become a pilot since I already had my degree. But the entire selection board got Covid the day before I was going to be reviewed," he said. Faced with the decision to wait another nine months for the board to review him again or enlist as an officer right away, Vega decided to enlist.
"Right before I left for basic training, we found out my mom was sick," he said. Three to four weeks into boot camp, his mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer. "Usually, you only get to make a call home every couple of months, but thankfully, my Recruit Division Commanders (RDC) knew about my mom's condition and my wife's pregnancy. They let me call home every other week to check on them," he said.
Vega was in boot camp during the COVID-19 pandemic and had to adhere to social distancing regulations that extended his training several times. "When someone got sick, you had to quarantine for two weeks, so my boot camp took six weeks longer than expected," he said. "Having to call my wife every time to tell her that someone got sick and that I had to wait two more weeks before I could get started again was rough," Vega added.
After he finished basic training, Vega spent the next three months learning to become a Navy air traffic controller, a role he has held ever since. "Air Traffic Control (ATC) is one of the highest-stress jobs in the world," he said. In the control tower, every second counts. Vega scans radar screens, tracking dozens of aircraft, his voice a steady anchor, calling in the storm of incoming and outgoing flights.
"I'm facility watch supervisor in Corpus Christi, and we currently have 65 ATCs ranging from people just out of training to chiefs who have been in the military for 20 years," Vega said. Though the job is intense, he has learned to keep a steady hand at the plate, making split-second calls with the precision of a seasoned catcher reading a baseball game. Focusing on safety, Vega oversees the critical interfacility communication between the local, naval, and public airports, ensuring that both aircraft and personnel reach their destinations safely and efficiently.
As he grew accustomed to his new position in Corpus Christi, Vega also took on the role of Alumnus Advisor for the Kappa Sigma chapter at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He credits his time at Eastern for giving him the foundation to be a strong mentor while juggling the needs of a high-stress work environment and managing day-to-day family responsibilities. Through his advising role, he connected with his current mentor, Robert Ferguson, who is working to make Kappa Sigma headquarters more military-friendly. "Whether it's helping people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or issues like it," Vega said, "I think he and I, together, will be able to cater to that community and really make a difference."
In addition to what he has completed with the Kappa Sigma fraternity, Vega has logged over 800 hours of community service elsewhere, ranging from volunteering with the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show (NCJLS), the biggest livestock show in Texas to helping at the Gulf Coast Humane Society, a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter. For his cumulative volunteer hours and dedication to helping others, the U.S. Navy awarded Vega the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.
In many ways, his time in the fraternity echoed what would later become his role in the Navy. Whether on the track, in the fraternity house, or now in the control tower, Vega thrives in environments where success depends on trust, precision, and teamwork. Those lessons stuck with him through the Navy, where every decision wasn't just about him; it was about keeping others safe. The foundation he built at ENMU and Kappa Sigma didn't just prepare him for a career in sports or business—it shaped him for a life answering the call of service.