Profile information
Description
Hello! My name is Marcus and I’m a student at Clark University studying political science and geography. I’ve been fortunate in that I have been able to travel extensively throughout the U.S., which has brought me enormous joy and provided many incredible experiences. However, I am eager to broaden my horizons and explore the rest of the world and the adventures it has to offer!
Throughout my life, I have certainly changed a lot, but there are two qualities that have stayed the same: my love for learning, and my love for doing. Everywhere I go in life, I always try to gain a new understanding of the world around me. Whether it’s in class learning about arctic sea ice or at the site of a failed 19th century transcendentalist commune learning about the Shakers, I love listening to people explain the intricacies of a subject in which they have expertise. I love the excitement of learning some new fascinating fact or detail.
But make no mistake, my love for learning is not a passive endeavor. When possible, I always jump at the opportunity to do hands-on activities. As a kid I loved designing and building engineering projects using Lego components, and doing backyard science projects. One summer, I participated in a volunteer trail maintenance crew where we moved rocks, cleared brush, and built bog bridges out of trees in an effort to improve the quality of a hiking trail. These types of activities provide an opportunity for me to gain new skills and understanding through getting dirty and doing it, not just by reading about it in abstract. Thus, I’m looking to take these core values as far as I can by learning and doing new things around the world!
This is what I’m hoping to gain, but I have a lot to offer in return as well. I have visited 17 US States and New Brunswick, Canada, and love to share stories about all the wild experiences I’ve had. I chased monsoon thunderstorms in Arizona to photograph them. I hiked Cadillac Mountain in Maine, which is the tallest mountain directly on the east coast. I acted in six different Shakespeare plays. I spent 7 days rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I visited the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. I witnessed a total solar eclipse in Vermont. I played rhythm guitar for the oldest fiddling club in America. I worked for an affordable housing advocacy group in my home state of Connecticut. I snowboarded down an 11,000 ft high mountain in Utah. I made a parody of the Queen song “We Will Rock You” about a college debate star that my friends and I were fans of in high school. I visited a tidal island by driving across the ocean floor. And I even went to a festival dedicated to the soda Moxie, which included a recipe contest for food made using Moxie as an ingredient.
As I travel, I’m looking forward to sharing these stories, hearing stories from others, and making new stories as the adventures continue!
Interests
Charity work
Books
Sustainability
Videography
DIY & crafts
Music
History
Photography
Writing
Winter sports
Politics / Social justice
Nature
Culture
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Gardening
Eco Projects
General Maintenance
Life at a Farmstay
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Some knowledge of:
DIY and building projects
Charity Work
Art Projects
Helping around the house
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Able to teach about:
Teaching
More details about your skills
Painting - Repainted my room and helped paint our deck.
A little bit of gardening experience - Helped plant a raised-bed community garden.
Electronics - Completed several small electronics kit projects.
Engineering projects - Built a 3-axis articulated claw, a Lego model of harpsichord key mechanism, a hair dryer mounted and wired through a flexible joint, and flamethrower fueled by powdered coffee creamer, among many other projects.
Teaching - Assistant taught for a program that provided after-school and day camp enrichment activities that teach engineering concepts through hands-on projects, often using Lego materials. Also volunteered as a junior intern for the Connecticut River Museum’s “Life at Sea” summer day camp and “Life on the Farm” summer day camp. This involved assisting students with various projects and other camp activities.
Community organizing - Volunteered (and eventually advanced to paid work) for an non-profit organization called DesegregateCT that advocates for more equitable, environmentally friendly, and economically viable land-use policies and affordable housing. While there I helped organize and conduct “walk audit” events across Connecticut to meet with residents and local leaders and assess the walkability and housing situation in areas surrounding transit infrastructure.
Competent with DSLR camera photography and videography - Many many nature and landscape photography outings on my own time. For the CT River Museum, I also filmed and produced a short video featuring campers explaining how different parts of the Onrust (a handcrafted replica of the first European boat to explore the CT River) worked. On a separate occasion, I also produced a promotional video for the museum’s seasonal eagle viewing boat rides. This included collecting video footage of eagles from their boat, editing the clips together, and writing and recording a voiceover for the video.
Ice cream scooping - Volunteered for annual fundraiser for the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester CT. The fundraiser was called “Farm Day” and took place at a local dairy farm. I worked as an ice cream scooper for the event three years in a row.
Age
22
What else ...
Music - I play guitar, piano, and sing. I have a band with my brother and our two friends who are brothers!
Photography - Landscape, nature, city scape, and storm chasing
Acted in six Shakespeare plays
I like watching bad movies like "The Room"
Some more information
Smoker
Driver's licence
Allergies
Special dietary requirements
I try and avoid gluten, dairy, eggs, and corn, but small amounts of those things in other foods are fine.
Photos
Friends
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