[Dallas, TX – February 5th , 2015]
Student: Marcus Sidney
GPA : 3.68
Hometown : Gretna, Louisiana
Major/ Class: Earth System Science / Junior
Marcus Sidney a Junior at Jackson State University was named the Tom Joyner Foundation “Hercules Scholar ” for this week.
Marcus is originally from Gretna , Louisiana and currently has a 3.68 GPA. He is majoring in Earth System Science and has set his goals on working with the environmental agency as a Air Quality Specialist after completing his degree at Jackson State. On campus he is heavily involved with the JSU student body as a member of the NAACP and Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society. Marcus goes on to say the most influential people in his life is his father and mother. He believes they have supported him and help him become the best person he can be.
He lives by the motto : “Have Faith and Never Give UP” . Marcus also mentions that he is a “proud and blessed to be a 12 year brain cancer survivor “. Check out the video of Marcus Sidney talking about his career goals, impact on the community and more below.
Jackson State University , located in Jackson , Miss., has been named the Tom Joyner Foundation ‘School of the Month” for February. JSU was established as Natchez Seminary in 1877 by the American Baptist Home mission Society. In November 1882, the school was moved to Jackson, Mississippi, and in March 1899, the name was changed to Jackson College. The name was then changed to Jackson State College in 1956, and on March 15,1974, the college reached university status.
The Hercules Scholarship is named after Joyner’s father, the late Hercules Joyner, who was a strong supporter of higher education. To be a candidate for the scholarship, students must be male, attend a Foundation “School of the Month”, have a grade point average of at least 3.5, and be a campus leader involved in the community with a career goal toward making a difference in the quality of life for his race. The scholars each receive a scholarship grant of $1,500 that is paid directly to their school to help offset their college expenses.