Marcus is a resident assistant for Winkler Suites on Busch Campus. A junior from Eatontown, N.J., he is majoring in biomedical engineering and plans on attending medical school for oncology.
On his interest in biomedical engineering…
Unfortunately, I have a few family members that have cancer. Right now, I feel I can’t help but feel upset. I don’t want others to feel this way about their loved ones who are stricken with cancer. This is why I feel empowered to go into the medical field. I decided I wanted to work in medicine when I was in eighth grade. I remind myself that this is something I’m passionate about so I’m going for it. Both my parents are in the medical field. I have very fond memories visiting them at work.
On decision to become a resident assistant…
My RA my freshman year was really great and did a good job bringing the floor together as family. I still talk to most of my them [my floor mates] to this day. I want to do for others what my RA did for me. I want to make students comfortable with where they live. I want them to feel like they are part of community, something bigger than themselves. That is my drive as a RA.
On being an RA so far...
Things have panned out better than I thought. I feel like there was a stigma that RAs in the suites don’t care about their residents. I feel like I have taken the initiative to bond with them. I want them to see me as someone they can reach out to for help. I like to make food for them; I think my residents really appreciate that. I don’t want them to see me just as an authority figure.
On approach to being an RA…
I come from a really loving family. I know students are away from home. I want them to feel that they have a home away from home. I feel this way because of my experience as a freshman living in a residence hall. I felt like I was part of family, it made my day lot better coming back to my friends and my RA. I feel comfortable living here, I feel safe. I like knowing that they people have my back. I want my residents to feel the same.
Love for music…
I’m really into music and feel I have a good ear at it. At events, I like to DJ and play music. I can’t go a day without listening [to music]. In high school I liked rock, EDM, and rap. I love old school hip hop, like Run DMC, NWA, and Ice Cube. They did rap the right way. I don’t really listen to any new rap besides Kendrick Lamar. When I listened to how older rap songs were scratched back then, I wanted to learn how. Last spring break I actually took the time to teach myself. People get hyped up when I start DJ-ing for them; it’s a great feeling that I love. I started to get into electronic music. I started experimenting with different sounds while working with my personal tastes. I would describe my music now as house music. Next, I’m planning to DJ for our hall program, Winter Wonderland at McCormick, in December. My first bulletin board was actually on the history of rap. I wanted to use it as a way to show my residents my passion for music so they can get to know me.
On campus involvement…
I also love breakdancing. I started in high school and when I came to college I joined [the student organization] RU Breaks. They taught me how to improve on my footwork and taught me some power moves. I continued to be on RU Breaks and performed my freshman and sophomore year. I was able to attend a big event on Livingston campus where B-boys and B-girls from all over the east coast came. It was great. I was able to learn the history of break dancing and how big of a community it really is. I really wish my studies didn’t take as much time, or I would be break dancing all the time. In the future, I want to explore other types of dance, like choreography. Dancing is big part of my life, its helps me to relieve stress.
