Breve Autobiografia
August 31, 2021
My name is Marvin Markham, I am a surfer, a student, and a problem solver. I am 20 years old and have lived most of my life in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. My father served in the Coast Guard for 40 years (25 as active duty and 15 as a federal employee) and just recently retired! My mother is from Orocovis, Puerto Rico. I attended k-12 at Ramey High School in Aguadilla. My favorite time of the year is winter because that is the surf season here in PR. I love surfing big waves at beaches such as Wilderness and Middles. I am a transfer student from NYU Shanghai. I am extremely excited to be back in PR earning my BS in Computer Science and Applied Digital Technology.
My passions are intertwined with the ocean. Now that surfing is an olympic sport it has gained credibility and respect. During university, I wish to concentrate on the surf scene here in Puerto Rico; while learning to program computers (just in case things don’t go too well looking for a job in the surf industry). I believe that there is a lack of documentation on the culture of surfing. I would love to compose and direct a series that will show Puerto Rico who surfers really are. I believe that everyday people can learn alot about their own lives just by learning a surfers philosophy on life.
Recently, the world of surfing is entering a new phase in history: when capitalism attacks! Big companies such as ABC have begun trying to document the surf scene. It is infuriating because they used a production crew that has no clue what really goes on in the water. They have created a reality show on surfing that makes us look so foolish. Someone needs to get their feet wet and film something that will be the go to idea when people think about surfing.
At Sagrado I am excited to partake in all the courses they have to offer. Not only can I focus my passions on surfing, I also want to learn to program computers. The reality is that I don’t want to make money off of surfing because capitalizing off of my hobby almost seems unethical. If there is a completely green way of making money off of surfing without infiltrating and harming what is already established in the culture, I would love to be part of it. For the meantime though, I love electronics and I want to understand the language of programming. It is currently a field of study and a career option that is high in demand. I also think that we are in a technological revolution and programming and understanding computers more than the everyday person will be very useful.
I have a cousin that works as a programmer here in Santurce. He is considerably in a really good position. He is a driving force in why I want to get into programming. Him and I connect a lot over video games we love to play. Our favorites are Halo, Call of Duty, and Minecraft. More than anything, these games require a vast amount of sophistication to set up. Growing up with an Xbox as a kid really got me interested in computers and everything that has to do with them. I currently use a macbook pro, and have plans on saving up for my own personal computer station. I believe that computers are good investments because they are machines that enable one to have a lot of power at their fingertips.
