Marcus Mello

Hometown: Somerset, Mass.
High School: Somerset High School
Intended major: Art History
Possible career: Architect

Marcus is the Editor-in-Chief of The Phoenix, Swarthmore's weekly campus newspaper. He is also a volunteer for College Access of Delaware County in Chester, PA, where he tutors high school students to prepare them for the SAT/ACT. He works as an ITS Consultant and has served on the Executive Board of Swarthmore African-American Student Society (SASS).

In His Own Words

Describe yourself in 5 words or less.

"Ambitious, silly, mellow, fun, caring"

What have been the most valuable Evans Scholars program experiences for you?

"The Evans Scholars program allowed me to travel out of the country for the first time in my life. My most valuable experience was this past summer in Quito, Ecuador, by far my most valuable summer yet. I was able to learn more about a field that I was interested ineconomics, more specifically microfinance — and to immerse myself in a South American environment. I learned a lot about Ecuadorian culture and my Spanish improved tremendously. I also enjoyed my host family; we had a lot of fun together."

What was the most transformative class you have taken?

"Life Sculpture, taught by Syd Carpenter, is the most transformative class I have taken at Swarthmore. Before taking this course, I thought that drawing was my favorite form of art, but now I am starting to question this. Sculpting is not only a lot of fun, but it also makes me think visually. In the class, we have been working to answer the question, "What is that item?' We are learning a lot about looking at and observing objects and bringing them to life in the form of clay. The class is very different than Life Drawing, a class I took in the spring semester of my freshman year, in that it involves working three-dimensionally as opposed to two. You really have to think like an architect or an engineer to get your piece to work structurally. I used to be intimidated by working with clay, but now I love it!"

What subjects do you want to explore deeply?

"I would love to learn more languages; I want to improve my Spanish, start French at Swarthmore, and try to learn Portuguese. I also want to take more economics courses and explore the field of education."

Name the person you most admire.

"I most admire my mother. She comes from a humble background and worked very hard as a single-mother raising my twin brother and me. She has always made sure we would go on to college, though she did not herself, and be successful in achieving our goals."

What are you proudest of in your life so far?

"I am proudest of my most important accomplishments, the most important being my acceptance to Swarthmore College and becoming a Philip Evans Scholar."