Urban Dreams

Senior Scott Markley loves the excitement of the big city

“When I was little I always liked being in the city,” Markley said, and that feeling hasn’t changed. He still likes it. “There are things to do and see all the time.”

But, more than a simple preference of lifestyle, he’s interested in what makes urban centers function day to day – or, if they’re not working, to find solutions to their problems. “I want to make a better city,” he said. “I’m fascinated by how all the parts work together.”

Markley, the recipient of two awards, the John F. Nolen Student Government Association Scholarship and the Daniel B. Good Geography Scholarship, is a geography major with a geographic information systems (GIS) minor. He plans to continue his studies in graduate school. “I hope to study urban geography or city planning,” he said.

“I came in to study geography and took my first GIS class and loved the whole process,” said the Marietta, Ga., native. “GIS also uses mathematics and I always liked math.

Markley expressed gratitude for the financial burdens he has avoided by being a scholarship recipient. They have allowed him to focus on his studies and service projects. “It would be a much bigger struggle to go to college without the scholarships,” he said. “My sister also goes to college and we both wanted to have as little debt as possible.”

Outside of the classroom, Markley serves as a Student Government Association senator, treasurer for Delta Chi fraternity, and mentors freshmen undeclared majors by helping them find the campus resources they need to make sound academic decisions. He also serves as a SOAR leader for the Office of Admissions, leading campus tours and calming the concerns of anxious parents and prospective students.

Markley has conducted field research as an undergraduate and has had the opportunity to present his results at a research symposium. He was also able to conduct an independent study course, plotting GPS points at a hunting range near Augusta, an exercise he said enabled him to add to his knowledge and experience.

Markley also hopes to conduct a study abroad in the summer of 2013.

He credited geology professor Jill Stackhouse with starting him down the path of success “She kind of took me under her wing and I was able to present one of my research projects at the Graduate Research Symposium,” Markley said. “She worked with me the whole way through. She was always the one pushing me with my GIS work.”

“I have known Scott since fall 2010 and since then, have been consistently impressed, not only with his scholastic achievements, but with his focus, discipline, professionalism and his genuine enthusiasm for his experience at Georgia Southern,” said Stackhouse.

Given his busy schedule, Markley’s academic pace seems to have mirrored the bustling tempo he so admires in urban settings. He credits his scholarships with having freed him to create some hustle and bustle of his own, packing as much activity as possible into his time as a Georgia Southern student.

“As far as making the most out of my college experience, the scholarships definitely allow that,” he said.

David Thompson