Anthony Jadus
Senate Recorder

What defines a leader? Is a leader somebody who is up front and always the first to speak up? Is it a person who is quiet and reserved, yet has a lead-by-example approach to their style? Is a leader someone who is always on task and never varies from consistent methods that work, or is a leader impulsive and open to new things? So many related questions could be asked about leadership, and if you were looking for a source to address these inquiries to, look no further than Millersville student Markesha Burnett.

Markesha Burnett was appointed as the new student trustee.
Markesha Burnett was appointed as the new student trustee.

Markesha is currently a sophomore here, and her major is business administration marketing. She is a supervisor for the campus rec intramurals, a student senator, and as of recent, the university’s student trustee. A trustee, for those unaware, is a member of the board of trustees, which is composed of Millersville alumni and other people of high power positions. The board makes a majority of the major decisions that affect the campus and the university as a whole. Markesha is our student representative on the board, and with the importance and weight that her position brings, her position calls for a high level of leadership, and skills involving public speaking, time management, and things of the sort.

Looking at Markesha’s past, one can see where this sense of leadership, skills, and self-discipline comes from rather easily. Markesha grew up in a home where hard work and perseverance were naturally instilled in her. She regards her mother as an extremely hard worker, and this she says rubbed off onto her, so now when a task or a challenge comes around that requires a little bit of effort, she has no problem doing it.

Besides putting in the effort and hard work, Markesha also had no problem taking on positions of leadership when she was called to do so. In high school, Markesha was on her student council, and she participated on her athletic teams’ cabinets. She was an athlete as well, playing field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse, where eventually she became captains of all three sports. The high school that Markesha attended was a boarding school where she also had the job of a student whip, which is equivalent to a RA in the dorms.

Boarding school, for Markesha, was a time that allowed her to be ready for college because of how similar it is to residing in student dorms. The readiness that she had for college didn’t stem from mimicking her family’s behavior in college, because Markesha is the first one from her family to attend college. Now, her little cousins look up to her, and they want to follow in her footsteps.

Now that Markesha is continuing down her own carved path of success, she will be making a big difference in the lives of others. The differences that she will be making as a trustee will be unique to her. She plans on working hard to try to instill more school pride, and also to try to induce more organizations’ activities and involvement.

On the topic of organizations’ activities, the homecoming event put on last year was actually started and developed by Markesha, heading the committee in charge of putting on a good show. It is instances like that that Markesha says she loves; being able to take a step back and say, ‘OK, I put in the effort, and look what happens.’ Markesha told me that one of her favorite quotes was, “Work hard, be nice,” in which she said is one of the easiest ways to live life, and so far for Markesha, her mindset is paying off.

“It’s not a sin to fall down, but it’s a sin to stay down,” said the new trustee. Markesha said that this is how she manages to keep on top of everything, and this is how she realized that no matter what, everyone can succeed. If you work hard enough for it, you will get it – simple as that. Looking to the future, Markesha is extremely excited to put her plans into place.