(above) DU Student Julie Markham was featured in USA Today as an Academic All-StarJulie Markham is the kind of person who refuses to give up on a dream — even if some people think it's an impossible dream. And that has made a world of difference to the University of Denver student, who graduated Saturday.
It has taken her to Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, the Middle East and, most recently, Kenya, where she is consulting with a local bank that is developing an eco-friendly village designed to move slum-dwellers into sustainable, affordable housing.
Markham, a real estate and finance major, has ignored naysayers who say microfinancing — sometimes called "barefoot banking" — won't lead to long-term social good. Or who think a college student could never play a role in transforming the lives of people across the globe. She heeds the words of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, who once said: "All progress depends on the unreasonable man."
"No matter where my journey takes me, along the way I hope to be unreasonable," says Markham, 23.
In some ways, that sums up the attitudes of all 20 members of USA TODAY's 2010 All-USA College Academic First Team, which includes Markham. Yes, they study hard, serve their communities and are role models on campus. But at their core, they are solution-oriented thinkers who aren't afraid to dare. And in defying standard notions of what it means to be a student, they set a high bar for what the undergraduate experience looks like.
It has taken her to Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, the Middle East and, most recently, Kenya, where she is consulting with a local bank that is developing an eco-friendly village designed to move slum-dwellers into sustainable, affordable housing.
Markham, a real estate and finance major, has ignored naysayers who say microfinancing — sometimes called "barefoot banking" — won't lead to long-term social good. Or who think a college student could never play a role in transforming the lives of people across the globe. She heeds the words of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, who once said: "All progress depends on the unreasonable man."
"No matter where my journey takes me, along the way I hope to be unreasonable," says Markham, 23.
In some ways, that sums up the attitudes of all 20 members of USA TODAY's 2010 All-USA College Academic First Team, which includes Markham. Yes, they study hard, serve their communities and are role models on campus. But at their core, they are solution-oriented thinkers who aren't afraid to dare. And in defying standard notions of what it means to be a student, they set a high bar for what the undergraduate experience looks like.
1 comment:
Julie is such a thug.
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