Marcus Neal, a 2000 graduate of Canutillo High School (CHS) and former resident of the Westway neighborhood, has been selected as the 2015 Outstanding Ex for the Canutillo High School homecoming festivities.
Mr. Neal is the owner and director of MLee Therapy in Austin, TX, a group of speech language therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy clinicians.
“The passion that Marcus has for helping the children of his community is not often found. In addition, the Canutillo community has always been important to him and he has continually acted as a leader to students from his hometown,” said Teresa Clapsaddle, CHS principal.
A 2004 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin (UT), Mr. Neal completed his Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology (SLP) in 2006 from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). During both his undergraduate and graduate careers, Mr. Neal was active in SLP organizations at both the local and national level. He served as the president of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, UTEP chapter, while attending the university.
As a member of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity at UT, Mr. Neal recruited CHS alumni to attend the university and consistently provided support to their success.
Mr. Neal holds countless industry-standard certifications and the Canutillo native travels across the country providing training to SLP clinicians. He is the only PROMPT instructor in the State of Texas, a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating and promoting holistic, dynamic, multi-sensory assessment and interventions for individuals with speech production disorders world-wide.
According to Monica Cazares, former CISD trustee, Mr. Neal undeniably sets the standard for what a CHS graduate should aim to achieve.
“Marcus is a true role model and exemplifies that good character and diligence can open doors and opportunities throughout one’s lifetime,” Cazares said.
Mr. Neal will be recognized during the homecoming parade on September 30, homecoming pep rally and the homecoming football game versus Jefferson High School on October 2 at 7 p.m. at the Coach Julius & Irene Lowenberg Eagles Stadium at Canutillo High School. He will join dozens of other Canutillo High School alumni – including a former congressman, lawyers, doctors, judges, doctors, military personnel and educators – who have had the Outstanding Ex honor bestowed upon them.