My Mizzou Story
Marcus Adair
Dad's on the Honor Roll
Brains and will power count, but this pre-med student thrives with the support of his family
Not all MU students glide smoothly toward a degree. Many nontraditional students take a few hops or slides along the way. Marcus Adair, a senior in biological sciences, has taken a detour or two, but he's set to be the first in his family to graduate from college.
When Marcus was a child, his mom worked in a medical clinic where the female employees took turns supervising each others' children. As a result, Marcus grew up trailing behind "Dr. Das and Dr. Allbright," and he let everyone know that he was going to be a doctor. "They always encouraged me to ask questions, but they don't know that I'm actually going to be a doctor," he says.
Marcus began his university career when he was 20. He just packed up and moved off to Columbia to become a doctor. It was a rude awakening: working nearly full time, trying to manage school and being supportive in some family issues back home. When the stress became overwhelming, he moved back to St. Louis to be near his family.
Marcus worked at whatever jobs he could find — all for low wages. During that time he met his future wife, Nicolle, and knew that he wanted a better life than he could provide as a mover working 14-hour days. When his wife became pregnant, Marcus felt it was time to return to Mizzou. Once again, he was working nearly full time while taking classes. Perhaps it was stress, but one night he woke up in his living room with paramedics working on him. He'd had a seizure — that had never happened to him before.
Back to St. Louis the couple went in time for the birth of a daughter. Marcus still had a plan: living in his mom's basement for a couple years and working a lot of hours gave the couple the ability to pay bills and feel more financially secure. It was time for another go at college life. Though he's no longer the stereotypical university student, Marcus has proved during the past three years that he's organized, strong-willed and, certainly, determined enough to make the grade.
Professor John David is Marcus' advisor, and he's proud to recommend Marcus for acceptance into medical school. "Marcus is precisely the kind of physician I would want to have for my own. I recommend him in the strongest possible terms and with absolutely no reservations." David is impressed with Marcus' ability to balance a monstrous course load with the demands of being a husband and father. He's maintaining an impressively high grade-point average, which Marcus hoped would help propel him into a choice medical school.
Nicolle is a huge fan of Marcus. "If I weren't already married to him," she says, "I'd want to be best friends with him." Nicolle says her husband may seem shy initially, but that he, like his whole family, is really funny. "Even when it's back-against-the-wall stressful, he's the one who's going to crack a joke." She says Marcus has taught her to laugh at herself: "You cannot take it too seriously. You just can't."
Marcus' tendency to be frugal with the family's assets has reformed Nicolle's less-careful attitude from her teens. Nicolle realizes that as they both move forward with their respective careers there will be additional demands on their time. But the corollary to that will be that they will be able to afford their own home — a prospect they both relish. Nicolle appreciates the way Marcus puts his family first: he may study all day, but he's home for dinner at 6 p.m. She knows that family will always be his first priority.
The family's life is a complex balancing act. Marcus likens their morning routine to an efficient assembly line. But their assembly line requires two people. One morning he apologized for leaving Nicolle with a naked four year old and a, shall we say doody-covered, one year old. As Nicolle was gathering clothing, she noticed that their daughter was running the bath water and using her best mommy voice, bossing her little brother into the tub, saying that they were going to be late and they didn't have time for this. At least Nicolle has a small stand-in for Marcus when he's required to be elsewhere.
Marcus and Nicolle will graduate in May 2008, both from the College of Arts and Science: Marcus in biological sciences and Nicolle in interdisciplinary studies. After earning acceptance at four medical schools, Marcus has chosen to attend Mayo Medical School in the next step of his journey to become a doctor. On top of that, the couple will have a bigger blessing: they expect their third child in April. (Update: A healthy baby girl was born in April.)
Marcus and his mom both hope for an opportunity to tell Dr. Das and Dr. Allbright what their encouragement meant to a young boy who shadowed them through their clinic. Maybe one of them will see this and know.
October 2007