Francisco Manzano Arechiga Spotlight

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Francisco Manzano-Arechiga, a first-generation college graduate. I was born in Tijuana, Mexico but have lived in Milwaukee for over 20 years. My path to Marquette was from a Milwaukee Public School to Marquette Univeristy High School to Marquette University. Some of my hobbies include reading, working out, playing video games, and as of recently…cooking!

Congratulations for the success that you have had in your role with the Milwaukee Bucks! Can you tell us about your position? What does a typical day look like?

Thank you! I’m currently (summer 2021) a Marketing Coordinator for the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2017, I joined the Bucks as a Digital Communications Intern, which was a fancy way of saying Social Media Intern. Currently, my role includes marketing and planning of marketing programs – for example – Bango’s Kids Club, Student Rush, Milwaukee Originals, etc. Every day is different for me, which is something I love.

When you studied at Marquette, you were a part of the Marquette HPGM Chapter. Why did you decide to join, and how did being a member play a part in the path that got you to where you are today?

I decided to join the Marquette HPGM Chapter as a way to connect with other Hispanic students on Marquette’s campus. Being on HPGM helped me connect and ultimately network with other students, not only in my grade. To me, networking was and still is an important part of the college experience.

What would you tell students who are thinking about becoming an HPGM member, but aren’t sure that they should?

DO IT! Joining HPGM is a benefit. You could meet your best friend, a future professional, or someone who could be important to you down the road. HPGM helps you build relationships.

What is one thing people often get wrong about you?

I’m an immigrant and a person of color. The odds were and are stacked against me. It is the ability to overcome any situation and quickly adapt.

Given the events in the past few months, I’m sure you have been able to take a step back to look back on and appreciate all the milestones in your career path that lead to your current role. Can you tell us about your biggest professional accomplishment(s) so far?

I’d have to narrow it down to 3 professional accomplishments: 

Launched and managed Bango’s Kids Club as a free and virtual program for the first time.
Launched and manage @BucksInSix on Twitter and Instagram. Went from zero followers to currently over 43,000 followers collectively.
Was blessed enough to lead @Bucks Twitter this past season on game days and I was the one who got to send all of our tweets including our 2021 NBA Champions tweet.

What’s one thing- either work related or not- you learned in the past 3 months?

Focus on your mental health. I recently just took a vacation and a week of PTO for myself, which is something I’ve never done in the past. Focus on you!

What are some things you are most looking forward to this year?

Running it back, we are the defending champions, we have to go for the back-to-back. But in all seriousness, we are the 2021 NBA Champions and that put a lot of eyes on our organization – we have big things coming and are taking advantage of the opportunity.

It might be difficult to narrow it down to one thing, but what is it that you love most about Milwaukee?

That it’s my home. This city embraced my family and myself and I’m proud to call it my home. This city is becoming a destination!