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While in ninth
grade at Chattooga High School, Jonathan Marks wanted to “find
his place.” So he came up with an idea to create what he called
a “Year in Video” (YNV) project to chronicle the important
milestones during a given high school year.
“My friend Nathan and I sat through Awards Day during our
freshman year and decided it could be a lot more interesting if
the student body could see a recap of the past year,” says
Marks, now a business major at Dalton State. “We asked
permission from the principal to film events during our
sophomore year, and we showed a video of school events each
spring during the next three Awards Days.”
The YNV project was successful, and it fueled his interest in
video-editing, which had begun when he was a young boy.
“When I was young and my whole family would get together, I’d
show videos that I’d made,” says Marks. “Sometimes, the whole
family would be in tears after watching one of those films.”
Marks’ love for cinematography is still strong, and he’s
determined to share his talents with his new school, Dalton
State.
“One of my main goals this year is to begin to visually tell a
story here at Dalton State that is inspirational and uplifting,”
he says, noting that he will be using a new high-definition
Canon camera and audio equipment for this project. “I have
already moved into the apartments next to the school so I can
spend much of my free time filming during the summer. My hope is
that these videos will inspire people, students especially, and
help set the mood for new students who come on campus. It will
be a way to show them what life here will be like.” |
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Marks’ plans for the
future are ambitious as well as his plans to earn a BBA in
Marketing from Dalton State and then hopes to pursue a Master of
Business Administration from a neighboring institution.
A local boy, having spent all of his life in northwest Georgia,
Marks says he “could end up living anywhere” by the time he
completes his degrees.
“I feel very fortunate,” he says. “I’m still trying to figure
out what I’ll do with my marketing degree, but good things often
happen to me. I know many doors will open up, as some already
have”
One of the doors that has opened up for him since he arrived at
Dalton State is his involvement with Student Activities. Marks
plans to become a Student Orientation, Ambassador and
Recruitment (SOAR) Leader for the Student Activities department
to help with new student orientation for fall, and expects to
attend a Leadership Institution this summer.
But already this spring, Marks volunteered, along with three
other students, to be a counselor at Camp Boggy Creek near
Orlando during the College’s spring break in March. The
students, along with Assistant Student Activities Director
Teresa Weimann, spent a week helping chronically ill children
have fun at camp. The experience, he says, was very fulfilling.
“For me it’s not all about the money or the bottom line,” says
the 20-year-old. “I need to be helping people as I go along.”
He has also spent over three years helping to teach the youth
class at his hometown place of worship. “That is a huge part of
who I am,” he says. “I have learned so much from that
experience.”
Marks works on the weekends, Fridays through Sundays, at the Wal-mart
in Trion as a sales associate, a job which affords him a great
deal of flexibility during his four-day week of classes while
providing him with spending money while in school.
Ten years down the road, he probably will not be involved with
retail, but he plans to be using his marketing background to
make a difference in his, and others’, lives.
“In 10 years, I hope to have a good job, a mortgage, and a
family,” he says. “But most importantly, I want my life to make
a tangible difference to others; this is just the tip of the
iceberg for me.”
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